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I am going to have to comment on this one...

I used to agree with you that design was important. That customers would not buy from a badly designed website. But that was until I started studying marketing. I mean, real marketing. Not the branding BS you can read everwhere. Read Dan S. Kennedy instead.

Anyways, sometimes a website or sales letter with spelling errors works better, because it seems more personal, when personal is good. A badly designed website can have the same effect. It looks more personal, and if a personal relation (like trust) is important, then a badly designed but information rich website might actually work better than the short, to-the-point, pro-looking website.

I have purchased goods from badly designed websites. And what did I think ?

At first: Wow, this looks crappy, what an amateur...

... but then I kept reading...

And then: Hmm... it sounds like he knows what he is talking about... but his websites sucks... ah, I trust his material to be good enough. And it was.

I am voting this post down because it is based on opinion, not hard scientific evidence. Marketers try out all kinds of things, like short sales letters, long sales letters (the most effective!!!), this website layout, that website layout, this product name, that product name... and I tell you, they do not arrive at their designs and names at random!! The provably most effective design / name is chosen. Regardless of "cool design". It's all about facts, not opinions.