Case Study: How a 2-Second Improvement in Page Load Time More Than Doubled Conversions

By
Tammy Everts
-
288
23335

Roughly 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned before checkout, and new findings suggest that slow load times are the number-one culprit. A recent survey* of more than 2,500 online consumers in the US and UK found that two thirds (67%) of UK shoppers and more than half (51%) of those in the US said that site slowness is the top reason they’d abandon a purchase. These are pretty compelling numbers, but what do they mean in real terms for a typical site owner?

What do these findings mean for you?

To test the impact of slow pages on transaction completion, we worked with a brave customer who shared our curiosity. Over a 12-week period, we conducted a split test in which a segment of their web traffic was divided into three sub-segments:

  • Fast: This group received a fully optimized set of pages. (For this experiment, optimal performance was defined as pages that load in less than 5 seconds.) This established the baseline conversion rate for the experiment.
  • Slow (page 1): This group experienced a 2-second delay to the first page in the transaction.
  • Slow (page 3): This group experienced a 2-second delay to the third page in the transaction.

As the results in the table below show, a 2-second delay in load time during a transaction resulted in abandonment rates of up to 87%. This is significantly higher than the baseline abandonment rate of 67%.

If you’re a glass-is-half-full kind of person, here’s the positive spin: making each page in a transaction just 2 seconds faster resulted in more than double the number of completed transactions.

Case study: Impact of page slowdown on transaction completion

Also interesting is the fact that it’s not enough to lure shoppers in with a speedy first page. Slowing down the third page – for shoppers who are at the halfway point of a transaction – caused the bounce rate to jump from 67% to 80%.

What are the most common shopping cart performance culprits?

These are the four most common performance issues we see every day:

1. Too many pages in the checkout process

There’s a reason why companies like Amazon have made it a priority to allow one-click checkout for customers who want to hustle through the purchasing process. They know that each stage in the checkout process is an invitation for attrition.

2. HTTPS/SSL

In our world, the only issue that trumps web performance is security. Your checkout process must be secure, but that security can come with a performance price tag: all that handshaking, encrypting, and decrypting necessarily takes time. Site owners who want to make the checkout process faster should take a look at how their site handles security. (Quick tip: Enable HTTPS content to be cached by the browser, which will help checkout pages render somewhat faster. There’s a myth that HTTPS content can’t be cached, but in actuality this is controllable with response headers, just like HTTP content.)

3. Too many page resources

Enabling browser caching, as explained above, will help with this problem, but you should also take a close look at your checkout pages and weed out extraneous images and other large files. Not only do these files consume unnecessary bandwidth, they’re also distracting when shoppers should be focusing on completing a single task.

4. Third-party service calls

If a site uses third-party services such as address validation, credit card authorization, and analytics, you need to make sure these services are performing quickly and reliably during checkout. This means understanding your service-level agreements (SLAs) with third-party providers and knowing what kind of monitoring and performance reporting these providers offer.

Learn more: Find out how Radware FastView gives you automated real-time acceleration of Web applications, out-of-the-box.

*Adventures in Retail: The other line is faster, Brand Perfect, November 2012

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

288 COMMENTS

  42. wonderful information, I had come to know about your blog from my friend nandu , hyderabad,i have read atleast 7 posts of yours by now, and let me tell you, your website gives the best and the most interesting information. This is just the kind of information that i had been looking for, i’m already your rss reader now and i would regularly watch out for the new posts, once again hats off to you! Thanks a ton once again, Regards, ATB

  57. […] Abandonment rates increase to 87% when there’s a 2-second delay in load time during transaction results. So it’s important to eliminate any steps where they could potentially jump ship. You could speed up your checkout process by implementing quick payment types like PayPal which already store and autofill the user’s info.  On a more technical side, work with your team to decrease  the loading speed of the page. Spreadshirt got theirs down to 4 seconds. […]

  58. […] Abandonment rates increase to 87% when there’s a 2-second delay in load time during transaction results. So it’s important to eliminate any steps where they could potentially jump ship. You could speed up your checkout process by implementing quick payment types like PayPal which already store and autofill the user’s info.  On a more technical side, work with your team to decrease  the loading speed of the page. Spreadshirt got theirs down to 4 seconds.  […]

  73. […] Le taux d’abandon grimpe à 87% lorsque le chargement de la page des résultats excède 2 secondes. Il est donc primordial d’éliminer toutes les étapes au cours desquelles le client serait tenté d’abandonner la transaction et de quitter le navire. Vous pouvez accélérer votre processus de commande en intégrant des moyens de paiement rapides comme PayPal, qui conservent et renseignent automatiquement les données de l’utilisateur. Côté technique, travaillez avec votre équipe IT pour optimiser la vitesse de chargement de la page. Le site Spreadshirt est ainsi parvenu à diminuer cette durée de 4 secondes. […]

  77. […] are willing to visit competitor sites instead of dealing with a slow loading page, according to a Radware Case Study. Kissmetrics echoes this sentiment in their recent overview of How Loading Time Affects your Bottom […]

  81. Thank you for some other magnificent article. Where else may anyone get that kind of information in such a perfect manner of writing?

    I have a presentation next week, and I am at the search for such
    information.

  85. I muѕt thank you for the efforts you have put in writing this blog.
    I really hope to view the same high-grade Ьlog posts
    Ƅy you later on as well. In truth, your creative writing abilіtiᥱs ɦas motivated me to get my οwn, personal blοg now 😉

  90. Saya memiliki telah berselancar online lebih dari 2 jam
    hari ini, namun saya tidak pernah menemukan artikel menarik seperti milik Anda.
    Ini cukup cantik layak bagi saya. pribadi ,
    jika semua pemilik web dan blogger membuat konten yang baik seperti yang Anda lakukan, internet akan jauh lebih
    berguna daripada sebelumnya.

  116. Υou can certainly ssee your expertise wothin the paintings you write.
    The worpd һopes for more passionate writers like you who aren’t afraid to mention how they believe.

    Always follow your heart. “Man is the measure of all things.” by Protagօras.

  123. Without a doubt slow page load times affect a web pages performance. Many thanks for taking the time to identify how much affect this has. With a lot of traffic now coming from mobile, page loads speeds are becoming more important.

  128. Nice case study. Yeah, i do agree Page load time plays an important role in SEO. A speed loading site always impresses both search engines and users. Nice guide indeed….

    Microsoft’s support website can be useful, too. You can search Microsoft’s Support website for solutions to many problems. Other solutions may be found on the Microsoft Community discussion forum. You can search how to get help in windows 10 community to find questions and answers other people have posted. You can also click “Ask a question” at the top of the page if you’re signed in to ask your question and hope for a useful answer from a community member.

  139. […] If users bounce off your website due to slow loading times, they’re simply not converting. (As a refresher, converting is when a user completes a desired action, such as signing up for your newsletter, sharing on their social media, filling out a form you’ve provided and/or making a purchase.) If your website has a longer checkout or conversion process, a recent study shows that a two-second delay is all it takes to increase checkout abandons to 87%.  […]

  140. […] If users bounce off your website due to slow loading times, they’re simply not converting. (As a refresher, converting is when a user completes a desired action, such as signing up for your newsletter, sharing on their social media, filling out a form you’ve provided and/or making a purchase.) If your website has a longer checkout or conversion process, a recent study shows that a two-second delay is all it takes to increase checkout abandons to 87%.  […]

  142. In 2006, Amazon reported that for every 100 milliseconds they speed up their website, they see a 1% increase in revenue. Then Google announced, in an effort to improve the web, that page speed was a consideration in how they rank search results.

    Since then, there’ve been no shortages of case studies showing the benefits of having a fast site. In this guide, I’ve tried to pull together how to get help in windows 10 everything that will enable you to improve your website’s loading speed. For a bit of fun, I also decided to test everything in this post on this site to see what impact it had.

  149. […] If users bounce off your website due to slow loading times, they’re simply not converting. (As a refresher, converting is when a user completes a desired action, such as signing up for your newsletter, sharing on their social media, filling out a form you’ve provided and/or making a purchase.) If your website has a longer checkout or conversion process, a recent study shows that a two-second delay is all it takes to increase checkout abandons to 87%.  […]

  175. Congrats on this superb blog. I thought that it was exceptionally instructive and intriguing as well. I have bookmarked your blog and will return later on. I need to urge you to proceed with that grand work, have an extraordinary daytime!

  187. هوم کا یک مجموعه ارائه دهنده خدمات سلامت از جمله پرستاری، پزشکی و خدمات توانبخشی در منزل و محل شما است. هوم کا کادر مجرب مراقبت و درمانی خود را بسته به نوع درخواست به شما تخصیص می دهد. تنها با یک تماس و یا با چند کلیک می توانید از مشاوره و خدمات هوم کا استفاده کنید.
    استخدام پرستار کودک

  188. وبسایت موسسه ستاره دانش پارسیان (اپلای استار) مرجع اطلاعات در خصوص تحصیل در آلمان، ویزای دانشجویی آلمان و کمک هزینه تحصیلی آلمان آماده خدمت رسانی و مشاوره به شما علاقه مندان به تحصیل در آلمان می باشد.
    تحصیل در کانادا

    • with a conversion rate of 10% when the page speed took longer than 10 seconds. Another study by Radware shows that a 2-second delay in load time during a transaction results even in an 87% cart.
      Please avoid this as it increases your loading time. Stats indicate that a 2-second delay in load times can increase the abandonment rate to 87%.

  201. The article appears as an extremely fascinating topic to explain. Your article is extremely helpful to me. Thanks for your great article. I am particularly happy to look over your article.

  203. I would love to read an article on how these issues may or may not conflict with having a more templated web site service, such as a wordpress site.

  206. Spesial Promo Khusus Member Setia Di Situs CrownQQ
    Yuk Buruan Daftar Dan Mainkan 9 Game Berkualitas Hanya Di Situs CrownQQ
    Agen BandarQ Terbesar Dan Terpercaya Di indonesia
    Rasakan Sensasi serunya bermain di CrownQQ, Agen BandarQ Yang 100% Gampang Menang
    Games Yang di Hadirkan CrownQQ :
    * Poker Online
    * BandarQ
    * Domino99
    * Bandar Sakong
    * Sakong
    * Bandar66
    * AduQ
    * Sakong
    * Perang Baccarat (New Game)

    Promo Yang Hadir Di CrownQQ Saat ini Adalah :
    => Bonus Refferal 20%
    => Bonus Turn Over 0,5%
    => Minimal Depo 20.000
    => Minimal WD 20.000
    => 100% Member Asli
    => Pelayanan DP & WD 24 jam
    => Livechat Kami 24 Jam Online
    => Bisa Dimainkan Di Hp Android
    => Di Layani Dengan 5 Bank Terbaik

    <>
    WHATSAPP : +6287771354805
    LINE : CS_CrownQQ
    TELEGRAM : +855882357563

    Link Resmi CrownQQ:
    IDCROWNQQ.COM
    IDCROWNQQ.NET
    IDCROWNQQ.ORG
    IDCROWNQQ.INFO

    DEPOSIT VIA PULSA TELKOMSEL | XL 24 JAM NONSTOP

    CrownQQ Agen DominoQQ BandarQ dan Domino99 Online Terbesar

  207. Very Impressive Post, i do agree Page load time plays an important role in SEO. A speed loading site always impresses both search engines and users.

  208. Selamat Pagi member setia maupun non member CrownQQ Agen DominoQQ BandarQ dan Domino99 Online Terbesar
    Cari Situs Judi Online yang fair ?
    No BOT-No ADMIN 100% FAIRPLAY PLAYER vs PLAYER
    Solusinya hanya di CROWNQQ
    Hanya dengan nominal deposit Rp.20.000
    Bonus Rollingan 0,5% Setiap senin
    Bonus Referal 20% Seumur hidup
    Raih jackpot puluhan sampai ratusan juta setiap harinya
    WHATSAPP : +6287771354805
    LINE : CS CROWNQQ
    TELEGRAM : +855882357563

    LINK :
    idcrownqq,com
    idcrownqq,net
    idcrownqq,org
    idcrownqq,info

    #crownqqAgenBandarq #Bandarq #BandarqOnline #AgenDominoqq #DominoqqOnline

  209. Cari SitusJudi Online yang aman dan terpercaya ?
    Solusinya hanya di CROWNQQ
    Bonus Rollingan 0,5% Setiap senin
    Bonus Referal 20% Seumur hidup
    Hanya dengan minimal deposit 20ribu sudah bisa bermain 9 game sekaligus lohh..
    Ayo daftar dan gabung sekarang juga,,
    WHATSAPP : +6287771354805
    LINE : CS CROWNQQ
    TELEGRAM : +855882357563
    LINK :
    idcrownqq,com
    idcrownqq,net
    idcrownqq,org
    idcrownqq,info

    #CrownqqAgenBandarq #Bandarq #BandarqOnline #AgenDominoqq #DominoqqOnline

  219. Untuk melakukan pendaftaran di situs ini kami sangat menyarankan anda untuk langsung membuka situs utama kami. Selanjutnya anda bisa mengikuti langkah-langkah yang tersedia melalui kolom pendaftaran. Silahkan isi semua data diri yang diperlukan dan anda pun siap menjadi member dalam hitungan menit. Apabila anda sudah menjadi member maka kesempatan untuk meraih keuntungan tanpa batas sudah terbuka lebar. Anda bisa bermain judi sbobet setiap hari dari rumah tanpa harus bertatap muka. Bahkan anda bisa memasang taruhan tanpa batas dan tentunya mendapatkan keuntungan yang tak terbatas pula.

  224. This is a Nice Article Very Good Explanation Thanks For Sharing your idea with the world. I just get a lot of valuable insights from your blogs. I can say anybody really interested in SEO, they can learn a lot from you. Thanks for the valuable input.

  251. Sometimes i am really shocked how many sites do not still use HTTPS/SSL certificate. It ruines your website perfomance. I hoghly recommend to start from this point
    Personally i never use sites which are not secured by HTTPS

  256. Influx Infotech Developed All in One School Management Software with Unique Features including more than 15 Excellent Modules with Two different Mobile Android Applications. Call us for Online Demo +91-8909248671, 7900221133.

  257. […] Si los usuarios abandonan su sitio debido a tiempos de carga lentos, simplemente no están convirtiendo. (Como recordatorio, la conversión es cuando un usuario completa una acción deseada, como suscribirse a un boletín informativo, compartir en sus redes sociales, completar un formulario que proporcionó y / o realizar una compra). Si su sitio tiene un proceso más largo pago o conversión, un estudio reciente muestra que un retraso de dos segundos es suficiente para aumentar el abandono del escaneo al 87%. […]

  262. […] If customers soar off your site because of gradual loading instances, they’re merely now not changing. (As a refresher, changing is when a consumer completes a desired motion, akin to signing up to your e-newsletter, sharing on their social media, filling out a sort you’ve supplied and/or making a purchase order.) If your site has an extended checkout or conversion procedure, a up to date learn about presentations that a two-second delay is all it takes to increase checkout abandons to 87%.  […]

  264. there’s many reasons for website slow loading pages, i think one of them is the hosting servers and datacenter locations , and the other’s is for website code.

  269. Page speed is very important for any website and the one who is working on website design should frequently check the page speeds. Learnt many things from this blog and thanks for publishing this.

  274. We are really grateful for your blog post. You will find a lot of approaches after visiting your post. I was exactly searching for. Thanks for such post and please keep it up. Great work. $

  282. I was very pleased to find this web site. I wanted to thank you
    for your time for this particularly fantastic read!!
    I definitely liked every part of it and I have
    you book marked to look at new things on your blog.

  285. It is true. Very good article. Less page load time also improve user experience and improve website ranking on SERP. As a best website development company, we know the importance of website speed.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here