E-trading is stronger than ever. A recent survey from HUI shows that online trading increased by no less than 12.8 percent in Q1 2010, compared with the same period in 2009.
According to SiteScanner’s survey, it takes an average of 6 seconds to load an e-trading site in a browser for a first-time visitor with a connection speed of 2 megabits per second. This is at least a few seconds too many to guarantee that the customer stays and makes a purchase, according to figures from an attitude survey carried out by Forrester in August 2009.
So how can you avoid business disruption and ensure that the customers stay on your website instead of clicking to your competitor? It’s about optimising and fastest loading.
Compare browsers
Your customers use different browsers. So, in order to ensure that all e-customers have a positive experience, you must compare the various browsers. This can only be done by running the entire site through real browsers and comparing the results. The differences in load time are surprisingly large.
Not all customers surf quickly
The majority of web users in Sweden surf with a connection speed of approximately 2 megabits per second. All measurements and tests must therefore be carried out from the perspective of a normal user.
Fast, but also attractive
Decorative applications like Flash and JavaScript are very demanding, so the site should always be tested in a browser before launching. This allows faults to be detected before they have time to impact sales figures. Important aspects to check very carefully are web caching, the use of JavaScript and CSS, and the size of individual items. Often, it is graphics and Flash that slow things down.
Benchmarking provides concrete evidence
Benchmarking against your major competitors gives an indication of how well you have succeeded with the Web. According to SiteScanner’s survey, it takes an average of 6 seconds for a normal user to load an e-trading site. Make sure your load time is less than that.
SLA requirement formulation
Business disruption on the Web should be measured from a visitor perspective by simulating entire transactions or clicking patterns. Looking at individual components is not sufficient. Raise the issue internally by setting up precise guidelines for your site's load time and how much business disruption is permissible during one year. There should be a clear system owner who specifies requirements for IT and operation, internal or external.