Website speed is quite possibly the holy grail of mobile commerce, with visitors again and again demonstrating that they will abandon ship if a particular page is even a second too slow to load. Sadly, slow performance remains a common problem: 73 percent of mobile internet users report that they have encountered websites that took too long to load. (Tweet This Stat)

Mobile website speed is especially important for eCommerce sites and apps, as a poor experience may lead not only to the loss of a sale, but the complete loss of that customer — and all of his or her potential future sales. According to a 2012 study from Load Impact, 53 percent of eCommerce website owners lost money or visitors as a result of poor site performance or stability. In order to avoid the potential devastation of lost traffic and sales, it is absolutely essential for web developers to maintain exceptional eCommerce mobile speed.
Here are 3 reasons to optimize mobile speed:

Prevent Immediate Page Abandonment

Today’s web surfers are more impatient than ever. With so many interesting things to see online, nobody wants to sit and wait for a page to load — even for a few seconds. 40 percent of webpage visitors will jump ship if they are forced to sit through three or more seconds of loading time. (Tweet This)

Every second shaved off of a site’s loading time will greatly reduce the number of visitors who abandon that page. Small improvements pay dividends; Walmart.com found that one second of loading time improvement resulted in a two percent conversion increase.

Keep Visitors Coming Back

Even if a visitor put up with poor performance once, there’s no guarantee they will in the future. Lifetime value of a user drops as a result of performance because they’re less likely to return if they have a memory of a poor experience — even a subconscious negative brand perception is enough to push the user away if there’s a litany of options available. Many refuse to ever return to slow pages — research indicates that 79 percent of dissatisfied mobile shoppers stop using underperforming sites. However, because customers are so eager to save time, they will return again and again to sites that load quickly.

Mobile Users Are More Prevalent But Pickier Than Desktop Shoppers

Website visitors using desktop computers tend to be a bit more patient than those on their phones. Of those who surf online with mobile phones, 73 percent claim that most sites load too slowly. These dissatisfied customers would happily wait in line at a store for several minutes, but after just four seconds, a quarter of website users will abandon a page. Mobile accounts for half of traffic, so it is more important than ever to keep mobile users happy.

All shoppers are impatient, but none more so than those with mobile devices. Mobile continues to take over as the preferred means of shopping, it is vital for businesses to offer competitive eCommerce mobile website speed. The result will be a reduction in webpage abandonment, an increase in return visits, and ultimately, better sales performance.

Key Takeaways

• Website visitors will only return to pages they perceive as having quick loading times.
• Excellent eCommerce mobile speed results in increased conversions.
• Mobile is quickly becoming the preferred shopping approach, but only if pages load quickly.

Learn how to avoid crucial mistakes, like slow web speed, with our free ebook. You’ll also learn more ideas to stay clear of when creating a strong mobile experience.