Mobile websites failing to deliver right experience to 52% of UK consumers, finds Eptica study

When quizzed, 52% of consumers said that over half the websites they visited weren’t optimised for mobile devices, making it difficult to interact with companies. Alarmingly, 16% had difficulties with the majority of sites they tried to access.

The 2013 Eptica Mobile Customer Experience Study, which surveyed levels of consumer satisfaction with mobile websites and apps, finds that a lack of functionality on mobile sites and apps compared to standard sites was the leading usability issue, highlighted by 36% of respondents. This was closely followed by slow loading speeds (34%) and sites that were not optimised for smaller screens (also 34%).

The Study also uncovered significant differences in responses between men and women. On average women were happier with the mobile experience, with 54% saying that over half the websites they visited were optimised for mobile devices, compared to 42% of men. Nearly four in ten (38%) of women highlighted poor optimisation for smaller screens as the number one mobile usability issue, compared to a lack of functionality which was identified by 37% of men.

Mobile devices are increasingly the first choice of consumers for internet access. By mid-2014 more people will access the web through mobile devices than PCs. The online experience is vital – recent research from Google found that if a mobile site takes longer than a second to load it interrupts the visitor’s flow – but that the average response time is seven seconds.

“Over half of us have smartphones, and tablet use is now mainstream, but it seems that many brands are lagging behind consumer expectations,” said Paul Barnes, VP Operations, Eptica UK. “The public demand the same experience on their mobile device as on their PC, but are being failed by substandard sites that are slow to load and don’t fit smaller screens. Many of these are basic issues that companies need to sort out before they lose customers to their rivals.”