Why page loading speed matters
Many online retailers suffer from slow site speed. Merchants are increasingly relying on rich media as a way to enhance their product pages and the overall look of their websites. Elements such as product videos help customers make more informed decisions as they can see the products they want to buy in action.
However, these interactive Web design elements also make pages load slower, even when optimized. According to research from KISSmetrics, a business loses 25% of its online visitors if its site takes over 4 seconds to load. As retailers add new elements to improve the shopping experience, such as cross channel offerings like in-store pickup, they must be mindful of how these additions affect page load time.
The possible end to Net Neutrality poses a threat for ecommerce retailers as well. The Federal Communications Commission could begin to allow Internet providers to charge customers for higher speeds. In fact, many merchants even participated in Internet Slowdown day last month to raise awareness of the problem.
While retailers may not be able to control federal regulations regarding Internet speed, they can take other steps to ensure their pages load quickly. KISSmetrics also provided 15 hazards that could be crippling a retailer’s site load time. Regardless of whether shoppers are browsing from their phones or home computers, site speed is incredibly important. For customer retention, it is crucial for merchants to continue to improve on a fast page load time.