Acceptability for Retail Web Page Response Times
Akamai and JupiterResearch Identify '4 Seconds' as the New Threshold of Acceptability for Retail Web Page Response TimesAkamai and JupiterResearch Identify '4 Seconds' as the New Threshold of Acceptability for Retail Web Page Response Times
[b]CAMBRIDGE, MA — November 6, 2006[/b] — Four seconds is the maximumlength of time an average online shopper will wait for a Web page toload before potentially abandoning a retail site. This is one ofseveral key findings revealed in a report made available today byAkamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), commissioned throughJupiterResearch, that examines consumer reaction to a poor onlineshopping experience.
The report ranked poor site performance as second only to highproduct prices and shipping costs as leading factors fordissatisfaction among online shoppers.
Based on the feedback of 1,058 online shoppers that weresurveyed during the first half of 2006, JupiterResearch offers thefollowing analysis:[list][*]The consequences for an online retailer whose site underperformsinclude diminished goodwill, negative brand perception, and, mostimportant, significant loss in overall sales.[*]Online shopper loyalty is contingent upon quick page loading,especially for high-spending shoppers and those with greater tenure.[*]JupiterResearch recommends that retailers make every effort to keep page rendering to no longer than four seconds.[/list]Additional findings in the report show that more thanone-third of shoppers with a poor experience abandoned the siteentirely, while 75 percent were likely not to shop on that site again.These results demonstrate that a poorly performing website can bedamaging to a company’s reputation; according to the survey, nearly 30percent of dissatisfied customers will either develop a negativeperception of the company or tell their friends and family about theexperience.
With less than three weeks to go before the Thanksgivingholiday in the U.S. -- the kick-off to the peak online shopping season-- Akamai has seen a consistent increase in Web traffic among itsretail customers as evidenced by its unique Net Usage Index for Retailavailable at [url]www.akamai.com/netusageindex.[/url] Today, Akamai serves over 65of the top 100 retail sites as recognized by the Internet Retailer Top500*.
"The customer experience begins the very instant a shoppertypes in your online address," said Don Becklin, president ofMotorcycle Superstore, Inc. "We put a very strong focus on both theorganization of our site and the site's performance. We knewimplementing Akamai's services was the right option for ensuring asmooth, efficient e-commerce experience. As a result, we now see adirect relationship between online revenues and site performance.Akamai is helping to enable our online business."
Close to half of the retailers on the Internet Retailer Top500 list still experience site response times in excess of fourseconds, demonstrating the need for site acceleration services. Akamairetail customers that are part of Internet Retailer's ranking have an11 percent improved conversion rate in turning browsers into buyersover non-Akamai customers on the same list.
The JupiterResearch report also states:[list][*]Roughly half of “mature” online shoppers – those with either two ormore years tenure shopping online or that spend more than $1,500annually – identify page loading time as one of their top prioritiesfor online sites[*]Forty-six percent of online shoppers insist on a rapidcheckout process, with 55 percent of shoppers spending $1,500 or moredemanding the same[*]Sixty-five percent indicated they are likely to return to asite that is easy to navigate, particularly during the registration,log-in and checkout processes[/list]"The critical takeaway from this research is that onlineshoppers not only demand quality site performance, they expect it,"said Brad Rinklin, vice president of marketing at Akamai. "Four secondsis the new benchmark by which a retail site will be judged, whichleaves little room for error for retailers to maintain a loyal onlinecustomer base. Site performance becomes even more critical as retailersadd more dynamic content and applications to their site."
JupiterResearch analysis indicates that the number of onlineshoppers will grow with the adoption of broadband access.JupiterResearch projects that 78 percent of online households in theU.S. will have broadband access by 2010.
For a complimentary copy of the full report, please visit [url=http://www.akamai.com/4seconds]www.akamai.com/4seconds[/url].
[b]About Akamai[/b]
Akamai® is the leading global service providerfor accelerating content and business processes online. Thousands oforganizations have formed trusted relationships with Akamai, improvingtheir revenue and reducing costs by maximizing the performance of theironline businesses. Leveraging the Akamai EdgePlatform, theseorganizations gain business advantage today, and have the foundationfor the emerging Web solutions of tomorrow. Akamai is "The TrustedChoice for Online Business." For more information, visitwww.akamai.com.
[b]Akamai Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act[/b]
Therelease contains information about future expectations, plans andprospects of Akamai Technologies, Inc.'s management that constituteforward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisionsunder The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actualresults may differ materially from those indicated by theseforward-looking statements as a result of various important factorsincluding, but not limited to, the effects of any attempts tointentionally disrupt our services or network by unauthorized users orothers, failure to have available sufficient transmission capacity, afailure of Akamai's network infrastructure and other factors that arediscussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterlyreports on Form 10-Q, and other documents periodically filed with theSEC.
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