New figures released have revealed that 43 per cent of Australians will immediately leave a website if it loads slowly.
A survey conducted by website accelerations company Squixa has unveiled factors that may be of interest to businesses trading online.
Of the 1250 Australians surveyed, almost three-quarters stated that they were more likely to make a purchase from a website with a short loading time.
The survey also revealed that most Australians using desktop computers and tablets expect a website to complete loading in five seconds and under.
“The survey results demonstrate that eyeballs and clicks will simply go elsewhere if websites aren’t living up to a customer’s expectations, in what is a highly competitive online environment,” said Stewart McGrath, co-founder and CEO of Squixa.
McGrath says that slow loading websites are usually attributed to the speed of one’s internet connection, but it usually is not the case.
“We are seeing huge spikes in the number of consumers visiting online retail stores from mobile devices. While Australians may think longer wait times are due to poor wireless internet connection, the reality for website owners is that the construction of their site is often causing delays.”