'Web Stress' Amongst UK Consumers Impacts Buying Behaviour Survey Reveals

July 15, 2009; 01:28 PM

DITTON PARK, England, July 15 /PRNewswire/ -- CA (NASDAQ: CA), the world's leading independent provider of IT management software, has released the results of a new independent survey: The 2009 'CA Web Stress Index'.

The study, which explored user levels of stress and frustration when surfing the web, found that 82% of UK consumers blame either the business that owns the website or the web hosting company, when an online application fails. In the current economic climate where customer retention is key to business survival, it is more important than ever before for organisations to minimise 'Web Stress' and optimise their customers' web experience.

Since the Internet is very much a part of our lives today, consumers often conduct online research before making a purchase. Of the 500 adults surveyed in the UK, 88% reported using the Internet for research while 94% use it for shopping. This means that even for companies which aren't selling online, the web experience they offer visitors is key. Consumers visit a number of websites to find information and research a product or service before they make a purchase. This presents a golden opportunity for businesses to deliver a compelling and memorable interaction which will positively influence buying behaviour. By contrast, a negative online experience will elevate 'Web Stress' levels causing customers to click away.

Unmet online expectations result in 'Web Stress'

The research also demonstrated that consumers have very high expectations of the performance of websites they visit. When customers experience a problem or error online, 16% expect it to be fixed within just ten minutes. This increases to 58% within an hour and by the 24 hour threshold, 96% would expect the issue to have been resolved. With only 15% taking the time to report the problem, it's essential that businesses proactively monitor their systems so they know as soon as performance issues arise.

"Anything less than a superior online experience results in high levels of 'Web Stress' resulting in customer dissatisfaction and lost business," said Kobi Korsah, Director, EMEA Product Marketing at CA. "In today's challenging economy, companies need to have Application Performance Management* tools in place to help them identify and resolve problems with web applications. By doing so they can help to ensure that consumers have a positive experience. In turn this will help businesses to attract and retain customers - critical in the current climate."

Poor web performance means lost business

The impact of not resolving web application problems was highlighted in the study. It revealed that if consumers encounter problems and can't complete what they're doing online, 46% will go to an alternative website and 44% will abandon the transaction entirely - that equates to lost business, damage to companies brand and reputation.

According to the survey findings, people expect websites to be always available and instantly responsive - 25% will give a website just 10 seconds to respond before clicking away. By 20 seconds, 57% will have lost patience and moved on, and by a minute, 88% of people will have exceeded their 'Web Stress' threshold and moved on to the next website. This means that any delay in the responsiveness of web applications has an immediate and negative effect on the business.

Alexander Kjerulf, "Chief Happiness Officer" commented: "Today the internet is ingrained in almost everything we do - at work, at home and on the move. When we shop online, for example, we expect a vendor's web site to be quick and responsive and when it is not, we often click away. As "Chief Happiness Officer", I meet many individuals from all walks of life and the one common issue that stands out when they are surfing the net is frustration with poor web sites. Quite often the cause is an under performing web application - quite distinct from a broadband connection issue or PC performance. As a result users are less inclined to visit or recommend the vendors website because it has failed to deliver a positive experience. For online vendors, brand loyalty is compromised and a business opportunity lost. For consumers, the stress associated with a poor web experience means that an alternative vendor's site is usually identified within a few minutes."

Other findings from the survey include:

    
    - Common causes of 'Web Stress' are slowly loading pages (92%),
      error messages (79%) and erratic website performance (64%)
    - 59% of consumers have experienced difficulties when conducting
      financial transactions online
    - 74% of the regular users of social networking sites suffer from
      web-related problems
    - 94% of respondents use the Internet for shopping, 88% for
      research, 87% for banking, 79% for socialising, 70% for travel, 59% for
      entertainment, 35% for education and 11% for tax filing.