Smartphone and Tablet Users Are Still Frustrated with Slow Mobile Download Speeds

A recent study showed that many consumers are not content with the speeds on smartphones and tablets in particular, as many sites continue to be disapointingly slow. When asked about their Mobile Web experiences over two-thirds of smartphone users cited "Web pages too slow to load", with "Website not optimized for smartphone" being next most common complaint.

This however is as much a result of slow speeds, as it is customer expectations. The study showed that 60% of tablet users expect to wait less than three seconds to get to a website, while 48% of PC Web users want download speeds faster than two seconds. Smartphone users also have high expectations, with 64% wanting a website to load within 4 four seconds and 82% of respondents wanting the website to load within five seconds. Even more startling is that 16% of users will not return to a site if it takes longer than six seconds to load, with 6% of users opting instead for competitor websites.

The research also revealed that consumers are beginning to use their mobile devices to browse the internet for prolonged periods of time; with 29% of smartphone users and 37% of tablet users noting that they spend at least 1-2 hours browsing the web on their respected devices. While on the internet, smartphone users primarily search for maps and event locations (88%), general information (82%), and participate in social media (76%). While tablet users view news and entertainment (79%), search for information (77%) and watch videos (76%).

This survey was carried out by Keynote Competitive Research. It consisted of more than 5,000 U.S. adults and was conducted using Keynote WebEffective, an online research tool that captures the customers' complete online experience, from desktops, smartphones, and tablets.

It also indicated that consumer's internet and information consumption patterns are changing; Don Aoki, senior vice president of professional services at Keynote explains:

"This survey reveals that a majority of mobile users are choosing to consume on-the-go information through their mobile browsers, while personal tasks like email and banking are often accessed through mobile apps whether on smartphones or on tablets."

With user consumption and expectations so high, it has never been more important for companies and websites to think about mobile web performance.