75% of Visitors Will Switch to a Competitor When a Website Feels Unsafe, Liferay Survey Finds

Everyday browsing is full of risk, and even minor inconsistencies can derail trust. Liferay, a leading provider of Digital Experience Platforms (DXPs), reveals in its latest research that 75% of users will abandon a website that feels unsafe or behaves oddly, often switching to a competitor to complete the same task.

The 2026 Liferay Broken Trust Report, conducted in December 2025, surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults aged 18 and older across regions and demographics via the third-party platform Pollfish. Respondents shared experiences with suspicious or “off” moments on websites, detailing how these moments affected trust and which signals helped restore confidence.

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Key findings include:

• One-strike trust economy: 61% of respondents say a single “off” moment changes how much they trust the brand.
• Reliability equals credibility: 71% say website reliability is a major factor in overall trust.
• Immediate instinct to flee: 40% immediately question safety when a page looks different; 28% leave immediately.
• Big brands aren’t immune: 91% believe even well-known brands can fall victim to fake or compromised websites.

Even brief glitches can have lasting impact, and companies that fail to address small inconsistencies risk driving users away and undermining their credibility online.

The report points to key strategies to reduce abandonment and ensure digital experiences work for users, not against them:

• Communicate clearly: Provide visible messages explaining glitches and fixes.
• Ensure design consistency: Maintain layout stability and predictable behavior across pages.
• Surface reassurance signals: Use visible security cues, such as security badges, recognizable brand elements, and consistent design patterns, to ensure users feel safe enough to continue on the site.
• Monitor and fix glitches promptly: Reduce layout shifts, asset errors, and unexpected pop-ups before they reach users.

“Customers are cautious for good reason,” said Bryan Cheung, CMO at Liferay. “They encounter scams everywhere, so small mismatches read as a risk. Trust is decided in seconds by what the page does and the signals it shows.”