Study suggests 40% of online shoppers wont wait over 10 seconds for a website to load

9 T H N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 1 by P A U L S A W E R S

The dawdling days of dial-up are all but consigned to the history books, and now it seems that expectations for highspeed Internet access on tap are sky-high. A new study suggests that 38% of online shoppers abandon websites or apps that take more than 10 seconds to load, which is timely news as we fast-approach the busy Christmas season when its thought 6.85bn will be spent online in the UK. The study was commissioned by cloud-computing company Rackspace, and it surveyed 2,000 UK adults aged 18 years-old and over across the UK in October. It also showed that from the 38% that jump ship after 10 seconds, almost half of them (45%) turn to the competition to make their purchases, which certainly makes sense. With eBay and Amazon already predicting their busiest day in the build-up to Christmas, and Londons Oxford Street gearing up for an e-Christmas as we reported last week, its probably little surprise that mobile will play a big part in the Christmas shopping this year, with over a quarter of those seeking discounts planning on using mobile app voucher codes, and a fifth of shoppers planning to use their smartphone in-store to scan a products barcode to compare prices online before actually buying a product. Rackspaces research indicates that e-commerce and m-commerce will grow dramatically this Christmas compared to last year, with 90% of those surveyed planning to purchase at least some of their presents online for Christmas, an

18% increase on last year, representing 8.7m more people. M-commerce is set to grow too, with almost a quarter indicating that they would buy a Christmas present using a smartphone or tablet, representing a 6% increase on last year. So, how worried should retailers be about that 10-second timeframe? A quick check of the major online retailers such as Amazon reveal that their websites typically load within a couple of seconds from a computer on a standard 12Mbps broadband connection. And what about mobile? Slightly slower. As Internet Retailer reportedearlier this year, whilst Sears Holdings Corp. came in first on the m-commerce speed index with a homepage load-time of 3.39 seconds, the average load time for the 30 retailers on the index was 10.87 seconds, which is just over the threshold. So if youre impatient, youre best doing your shopping from a computer rather than a mobile. But then again, we knew that already, right?

Amazon Ups Orders From Kindle Fire Suppliers To 5 Million Units

DEVIN COLDEWEY
posted yesterday 9 Comments

Emboldened by solid pre-order numbers for their new Kindle Fire tablet, Amazon has bumped its order numbers from manufacturers yet again, this time to a round five million units by years end. Presumably they are looking to fulfill as many orders as possible before the all-important holiday rush.

The change isnt anything like an order of magnitude, as even early reports had Amazon ordering millions of screens, and leaked sales estimates were for four million units sold before 2011 ends. Considering the relative unpopularity of even the highest-profile Android tablets preceding it, these numbers appeared optimistic at first; now they appear to have been conservative. Its a drop in the bucket compared with iPad sales, but the Amazon board is probably breathing a collective sigh of relief, having spent a huge sum of money developing the device. The Fire will likely be the second-place tablet for some time at this rate, which, when first place belongs to one of the best-selling gadgets of all time, isnt a bad place to be. The tablet ships on the 15th (next Tuesday), and is of course still available for pre-order. Well have a full review up after we get our hands on a device.

16% of Cellphones Have Poop on Them [INFOGRAPHIC]

1 day ago by Zoe Fox74

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Worried your cellphone may fall into the 16% with poop on it? You should be scared not just of the germs lurking on your mobile, but on all your favorite tech gizmos. Before you type anything else into your keyboard, consider this: Keyboards, on average, are five times dirtier and have 60 times more germs on them than toilet seats. They are 150 times over the acceptable limit for bacteria. This infographic, created by Keeping It Kleen, reveals the specs of our tech gadgets we dont really want to know. For instance, the dirtiest device in your house is the TV remote. Same applies in hotels; the remote even beats the infamous bedspread. If you want to keep your mobile out of the 16%, take some relief knowing you can keep your tech clean with sanitizing wipes, UV light cleaners, rubbing alcohol or microfiber cleaning cloths.

Will these findings change any of your tech cleaning behaviors?

80% of Smartphone Users Multitask While Watching TV [STATS]

16 hours ago by Zoe Fox44

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Its been said that multitasking makes you less productive, yet that hasnt stopped the majority of U.S. smartphone users from juggling multiple devices. As many as 80% of people multitask on a mobile device while watching TV, finds a new study. Using a laptop in front of the TV is no new behavior, yet few TV spots capitalize on the fact many consumers hold an Internetenabled device in their hands as commercials air. The DVR presented hurdles for advertisers a decade ago as viewers were able to fast forward through ads. Today, tablets and smartphones introduce a new challenge: A more engaged yet distracted consumer. Apps and tools, such as Shazam, might offer one way for marketers to get viewers interacting with ads. Yahoo Mobile and Razorfish polled 2,000 U.S. adults on their mobile habits and device preferences, to help marketers better understand consumer behavior. We pulled out 7 intriguing stats on consumer multitasking patterns.

38% of respondents say browsing the web enhances their TV viewing experience, while another 38% say it makes them more distracted.

70% of respondents multitask at least once a week; 49% do so daily. 15% are on their phones for programs entire durations. The top 5 programming genres attracting multitaskers are reality, news, comedy, sports and food. 94% of reported multitaskers engage in some form of mobile communication while watching TV, such as exchanging email, sending IMs, texting, talking or social networking.

60% browse the mobile web, of which 44% search for unrelated content and 38% search for related content. Mobile traffic spikes during halftime shows of sporting events; Yahoo Sports saw a 305% increase during the last Super Bowl halftime show.

What do you think marketers can learn from these patters?

Sexting Teens Twice as Likely to Be Depressed [STUDY]

9 hours ago by Zoe Fox6

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High school students who sext the term for texting sexually suggestive or explicit messages or photos are more likely to be depressed, a new study reveals. The preliminary findings of an Education Development Centerstudy show 13% of students engage in sexting, 10% of students have sent sexts in the past year, and 5% have sent sexually explicit photos of themselves. The teens involved in sexting were more likely to attempt suicide (13% vs. 3%) and were twice as likely to report depressive behaviors (36% vs. 17%). The study, which does not specify whether sexting causes depression or vice versa, polled 23,000 teens in Bostons western suburbs. The students polled are mainly from middle or upper class communities and 74% are white, making the findings most applicable to similar groups. SEE ALSO: iPhone App Simulates Teen Dating Abuse The findings also revealed students identifying as gay, lesbian or bisexual and students who were sexually active are more likely to sext than their heterosexual and non-sexually active counterparts. Students who sext also spend more time on their phones. The preliminary findings, which will be further analyzed, explain there are multiple causes of sexting. Sext messages may be sent as a deliberate form of cyberbullying, but they also may be sent as a way for youth to engage within online communities, says an EDC statement.

Given the perils of sexting, its fortunate the practice appears to be in decline, Dr. Michael Rich, associate professor at Harvard told ABCNews.com. Teens now better understand their vulnerability when they send an explicit photo, which comes with the risk of prosecution for pornography or that the image spreads to unwanted recipients. Image courtesy of Flickr, JPott