Site Speed and Conversions

An online shopper’s journey has 3 possible outcomes; the shopper either buys, browses, or bounces. Site speed plays a big part in which of these outcomes occur, and when it comes to eCommerce, a matter of seconds can be the deciding factor.

The Bounce Zone

When page load times exceed 4 seconds, shoppers officially enter the bounce zone. According to the 2022 Site Speed Standard, an eCommerce benchmark which draws on shopping activity from over 16 billion page views across 250 leading retail brands, once page load times pass 4 seconds, over 51% of shoppers will bounce from an eCommerce site. And the longer page load times stretch out, the worse the data becomes. Once sites hit the 6 second mark, 2 out of 3 eCommerce shoppers will leave. The Site Speed Standard officially defines the bounce zone as the point in time when the share of bounces on a site outpaces the share of shopping sessions.

The Conversion Zone

On the other hand, when eCommerce sites load in less than 4 seconds, shoppers are far more likely to become buyers. In fact, for every second of page load time saved, a site’s conversion rate gets nearly a 6% boost across devices. Sessions that land in the conversion zone, the point in time where the share of conversions outpace the share of shopping sessions, always lead to better outcomes for a brand’s bottom line.

The Need for Speed

Together, the conversion and bounce zones display the urgency of site speed. Beat the 4 second mark with page load times and the outcomes are sweet with a high conversion rate. But, when pages load too slowly, sessions turn sour, and deliver bounces.

Make sure your brand’s eCommerce site keeps shoppers in the conversion zone and out of the bounce zone. Visit the 2022 Site Speed Standard today to learn more about how fast page load times can increase your brand’s online revenue. Click HERE for more information.

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