How does serif vs sans serif typeface impact the usability of e-commerce websites?

Abstract

This study tries to find evidence that points towards the best typeface to use in e-commerce websites to maximize usability, trust, loyalty, appearance and overall user satisfaction. We tested the difference between serif and sans serif inside the same font family. A total of 246 volunteers participating in the experiment were asked to complete a set of tasks and a questionnaire on an e-commerce website prototype. We measured task completion time, reading speed and reading comprehension. From the results, using multiple linear regression, we deduced that only gender determines user preferences. Females tend to prefer the serif version of the typeface under study. Although most e-commerce websites use sans serif typefaces, we could not find evidence supporting this decision. The serif and sans serif characteristic inside the same font family does not affect usability on a website, as it was found that it has no impact on reading speed and user preference.