In “The State of the User Experience” report, Limelight Networks surveyed 1,115 consumers from varying demographics and educational backgrounds to find out what they valued most in a website. Additionally, 63 percent of respondents said they spend a substantial amount of their personal time online.

The study revealed that it wasn’t fresh content or even a seamless experience across all devices that users valued most. Rather, performance topped the list. Consider this – 1 in 5 respondents admitted to bailing on a website if they had to wait more than just 3 seconds for the site to load!

On the contrary, users seem to be more forgiving of mobile sites with 44 percent willing to wait longer for a mobile site to load. That’s great news considering a large portion of respondents said they access websites with their smartphones “most of the time”.

Other key findings include:

  • 37 percent admitted to completing their transaction on a competitor website’s when frustrated with slow load times
  • 8 in 10 respondents said they would recommend a brand after having a positive experience on its website
  • 37 percent said they don’t like websites to remember them or recommend similar products

Read the full report.

Reference:

MarketingCharts Staff. “What Users Value in the Website Experience (Hint: Performance)”. 7/29/2014.