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Why Surfing is Frustrating
30/3/01



Slow-loading pages, inaccurate site addresses and instructions for recommended settings have emerged as the main frustrations among website visitors. Many even apply a "20-second test" in deciding whether to abandon a site or not. This is according to a recent Taylor Nelson Sofres Interactive (TNSi) UK survey of Internet usage factors.

TNSi’s findings have been able to identify certain generic elements common to all types of websites. Some are surprising, but most represent obvious website user factors. Of these, the biggest turn-off is a slow-loading site; consumers expect a homepage to have substantially loaded within 20 seconds. 82% of respondents cited slow-loading pages as a key trigger to abandonment. Other factors of note included:

  • Only a very small minority of visitors (3%) claim to use portals as a
    search starting point. This clearly indicates the importance of providing adequate and accurate site addresses.
  • Some 30% guess the Web addresses of companies that they are trying to find. In consequence, many leading brands already facilitate this by registering variations of their name.
  • Site registration is enormously unpopular, with many people claiming to
    abandon sites that force them to register too early on.
  • "Net Blur" is a significant impediment to ecommerce. A single bad experience of buying something via the Web can lead to consumers writing off e-shopping as a whole regardless of individual sites.

Explaining some of the survey findings in more detail, TNSi Director Ben Lovejoy commented, "Many consumers dislike being told which browser to use or what settings to apply, and 18% of respondents cited "recommended settings" among their "Top Three" hates. Our findings also show that only 15% of would-be e-shoppers are reassured by secure servers. The study emphasises the fact that it’s not enough for ecommerce sites to be secure; they have to be seen to be secure. We have conducted well over 100 website development projects, so some of the findings from this study merely confirm what we already know to be true. However, even we were surprised by the strength of feeling expressed on some topics; the figures indicate that consumers are much less patient with websites that fail to meet their expectations." The study encompassed desk research, focus groups, accompanied surfing and a quantitative web-based survey using iPanel, a representative sample of the UK home Internet population.