14 DAY TRIAL // Akamai's latest report outlines the importance of page load times when shopping online, but also reveals that users on mobile connections spend the more money compared to classic desktops.
The growth of the mobile web forced retailers a long time ago to put a greater focus on mobile apps and mobile versions for their sites. It's safe to say that in 2015, no sane shop owner would ignore mobile visitors anymore.
But having a mobile version for your shop is not enough nowadays. With high-speed mobile Internet subscriptions and free Wi-Fi spots becoming more and more available, users are getting accustomed to quicker and quicker page loads, on both their mobile and desktop connections.
Currently, 49% of all Internet shoppers expect a website to load under two seconds while 30% have the Audacity to wait no longer than one second for a shop to load. These numbers are way up compared to five years ago, when they were 63%, respectively 5%.
While techniques like lazy-loading, asynchronous code execution, and above-the-fold optimization have become more and more prominent with most Web projects nowadays, we find that the 18% of all users that expected a site to load instantly to be quite spoiled.
The more time you spend on the bus looking at shoes, the more you'll be tempted to buy them
Regardless of our thoughts on the matter, the Akamai report also highlights how having constant access to online shops via tablets and smartphones has managed to increase shopper engagement and also lead to more sales from mobile users.
This percentage has risen from 16% in 2009 to 40% in 2014, and is expected to go even higher in upcoming years because more and more users are in the habit of browsing online stores while commuting, waiting at coffee shops, or going out with friends.
The irony in this report has not escaped us, 76% of all users saying they'd prefer to shop from desktops, and 85% actually consider it faster, while only 9% prefer mobiles, and a whopping 76% considering it a very slow experience.
But this actually makes sense, because users tend to spend more time on mobile connections compared to desktops, and usually use them only for work or during the night at home. So you have a higher chance of receiving an order from mobile devices than a desktop.
