Despite the bountiful investments in e-commerce from brands and retailers across the consumer goods market, a new study from Yottaa and Retail Systems Research (RSR) finds that web performance is consistently below recommended standards. Website speed, in particular, was a problem, with 78% of surveyed retailers failing to meet the standards set by the e-commerce optimization platform.
The shift to online selling has put pressure on merchants to upgrade their digital offering and improve the consumer experience. But investments in these areas don’t always address the most important areas, with some companies getting distracted by glossy aesthetics or a gamified shopping journey — and neglecting core components of the e-commerce process.
The report looked at several key categories, with companies able to score a total of 54 points. Sample criteria included the time taken to load a homepage on mobile; the difference between fastest and slowest load times; site design; creative checkout options; and whether the mobile experience matched that of desktop.