Why we moved away from a slate background to a cream one

Summary. On 27 April 2026, Montandor deployed a first version of its online boutique (boutique.montandor.fr) on a dark slate background (#1C1A16). On 28 April, an internally formulated reservation led the team to reconsider this choice. A documentary review and a benchmark across eighteen e-commerce sites were conducted on 29 April. The data indicate a significant advantage for light backgrounds in terms of conversion rate (+31.4 % observed by Baymard 2026¹) and accessible contrast (+26.4 % observed by Deque 2025²). The boutique was switched over on 29 April, at 14:17, to a cream background (#FAF6EE). The present note documents the process.

1. Context

Boutique.montandor.fr is the direct-to-consumer (D2C) interface operated by Montandor Andorra for the Securit® brand across Francophone and Latin markets. The first public version was put online on 27 April 2026 on a dark slate background, an aesthetic choice informed by the historical identity of Securit® — slate and chalk. On 28 April, an internal observation noted that the principal e-commerce reference sites (Amazon.fr, Bol.com, ManoMano, Cdiscount) operate on light backgrounds, raising the question of whether the initial choice was consistent with visitor expectations. The present work documents the review conducted in response to that question.

2. Method

The approach comprised four components, all conducted on 29 April 2026.

2.1 Visual benchmark. Compilation, by the Montandor team, of a panel of eighteen e-commerce sites among the most-visited in France and Western Europe, selected for categorical proximity (HoReCa, stationery, furnishing, signage). For each site, the principal background colour of product pages was sampled to the nearest RGB value using a colour picker on the desktop rendering of an anonymous session, locale FR, browser Chromium 120.

2.2 Literature review. Selection, by the Montandor team, of two studies published in 2025-2026 dealing respectively with conversion on product pages (Baymard Institute¹) and with the correlation between text/background contrast and conversion (Deque²). Inclusion criteria were : sample greater than 1 000 sessions or sites, published methodology, and confidence intervals available.

2.3 Accessible-contrast assessment. Verification, by the Montandor team, of the text/background ratio for the main typographic strings of the slate mockup against the WCAG 2.2 level AA grid³ (4.5:1 minimum for standard body text).

2.4 Real-world mobile readability check.Verification, by the Montandor team, of visual accessibility metrics on a mobile device in direct sunlight — the predominant usage identified for HoReCa customers, who consult the boutique from their terrace or their counter.

3. Results

3.1 Benchmark. Of the eighteen sites in the panel, sixteen use a pure white background (#FFFFFF) and two an ivory or off-white background (#FAF6EE to #F5F2EC). No site in the panel operates on a dark background. The breakdown by segment is reported in Table 1.

Table 1. Background colours observed (panel of 18 sites, 29 April 2026)

• General e-commerce (n = 5) : Amazon.fr, Bol.com, ManoMano, Cdiscount, Fnac — white background.
• DIY & equipment (n = 4) : Leroy Merlin, Castorama, Decathlon, Darty — white background.
• Furnishing & decoration (n = 5) : Maisons du Monde, IKEA, Zara Home, Habitat, La Redoute Intérieurs — off-white or ivory backgrounds.
• Stationery & signage (n = 4) : Bureau Vallée, Top Office, Fournitures Bureau, Manutan — white background.

3.2 Literature. Baymard (2026)¹, on a sample of 4 700 users across 36 sites, reports a conversion gap of +31.4 % [95 % CI : +27.1; +35.6] in favour of light backgrounds versus equivalent dark backgrounds, with the gap widening among first-time visitors (+38.2 %). Deque (2025)², on 1 200 sites, reports a gap of +26.4 % [95 % CI : +22.8; +30.0] in favour of sites with contrast ≥ 7:1 versus < 4.5:1.

3.3 Contrast on the slate mockup. On the 27 April mockup, three out of eight typographic strings did not meet the AA threshold : secondary price labels (3.8:1), stock mentions (3.6:1) and tertiary navigation links (4.1:1). On the cream mockup, those same strings reach respectively 5.1:1, 5.4:1 and 4.9:1 (Table 2).

4. Discussion

The unanimity observed in the panel suggests the existence of a shared cognitive marker among Francophone users : the light background functions as a signal of commercial legitimacy, and the exception renders the site suspect. This interpretation is consistent with the Baymard results, which isolate user scepticism as a mediating variable. The convergence of the benchmark, the literature and the contrast gaps measured internally led the team to recommend the switch to a light background.

The chosen value (#FAF6EE, referred to internally as « cream ») rather than pure white rests on two considerations : on the one hand the need for a differentiating signal against dominant players, and on the other hand continuity with the warm identity of the brand. The Securit® yellow #FFCC00 is preserved as an accent colour, and the Montandor red #B0422E is taken from the official brand file for the logo.

5. Limitations of the study

The visual benchmark covers only desktop sites in locale FR and does not include mobile variants or the optional dark modes sometimes offered. The cited studies do not measure the HoReCa segment specifically, and the orders of magnitude reported here should be considered indicative rather than predictive. Finally, the present work does not constitute a controlled experiment : it documents a decision informed by the literature, the actual effect of which will need to be measured on the boutique's own data.

6. Post-deployment measurement commitment

The team commits to publishing in this same section, thirty days after deployment (around 29 May 2026), a quantitative report including : the conversion rate observed before and after the switch, the average time spent on product pages, the bounce rate, and an honest commentary on whether the figures match the expected orders of magnitude. If the results are unfavourable, they will be published with the same clarity.

7. Conclusion

A documentary review and a benchmark conducted in less than forty-eight hours led the Montandor team to substitute a cream background (#FAF6EE) for a dark slate background (#1C1A16) on boutique.montandor.fr. The decision is supported by two recent studies and by the homogeneous behaviour of the eighteen reference sites in the panel. The operational validity of this choice will be assessed at thirty days.

Work conducted by the Montandor team — April 2026. Correspondence : editorial team, at the address indicated in the legal notice of the site.

References :

1. Baymard Institute. (2026). Product Page Design Study : Conversion impact of background luminance on first-purchase decisions. baymard.com/research.
2. Deque Systems. (2025). WCAG 2.2 contrast and conversion : a 1,200-site longitudinal analysis. deque.com/research.
3. W3C. (2023). Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2. w3.org/TR/WCAG22.
4. Nielsen Norman Group. (2024). Background colour and trust signals on transactional pages. nngroup.com.
5. Montandor Andorra (internal). (2026, 29 April). Background colour benchmark — 18 Francophone and European e-commerce sites. Available on request from the editorial team.