The UK’s busiest online retailers are achieving significantly faster download speeds than their competitors, according to new research.
NCC Group’s website monitoring arm analyses how the UK’s top 50 e-tailing websites are performing in its Quarterly Online Retail Report. Its latest report, just out, found the ten sites that see most visitors are pulling away from their competitors, with faster download speeds and less website downtime.
The report found average downtime during the first quarter of 2012 fell for the ten busiest sites to 6.3 minutes, down from 57 minutes in the fourth quarter of 2011. The top 50, however, averaged two hours and 31 minutes of downtime.
When it came to download speeds, the top ten averaged 4.4 seconds in the last three months while the rest of the top 50 saw average download speeds of 52 seconds.
Bob Dowson, director at NCC Group, said: “This quarter’s results show a clear link between site popularity and web performance, with the busiest e-tailers again delivering a significantly better experience for their customers.
“The top sites have pulled further away after a busy Christmas period, and other online businesses need to make sure they’re delivering an efficient customer experience all year, not just during busy periods.
“Online businesses must focus more of their efforts on site performance, otherwise the sites with the most traffic will continue to dominate. E-tailers must monitor and react to ensure their customers receive the best possible experience.”
