Survey Finds Online Shoppers Have Experienced More Web Site Performance Problems During Peak Shopping Periods

33 Percent of Consumers Report Slowdowns and Transaction Problems at Retail Web Sites during the 2009 Holiday Season

DETROIT January 27, 2010

Today, Gomez, the Web performance division of Compuware Corporation (NASDAQ:CPWR), previewed key findings from an independent study examining consumers’ Web experiences when shopping, booking travel or conducting financial transactions online during peak traffic times. The survey, conducted by Equation Research on behalf of Gomez during the 2009 Holiday shopping season, found that online shoppers experience more Web site slow downs, errors and problems completing transactions during popular shopping periods when traffic to retail Web sites peaks. At stake is the $1,050 that each online shopper spends annually, according to the survey, with a significant amount of spending conducted during these peak times. The survey will be published in full on February 2, 2010.

Specifically, the survey found that:

  • A third of online shoppers had a bad experience on a retail Web site during the recent 2009 Holiday shopping season and 15 percent found the problem to be “unacceptable.”
  • These bad online experiences caused nearly one in five online shoppers to shop at another site.
  • In general, 41 percent of online shoppers will only tolerate one or two bad online experiences before abandoning a retailer’s Web site.

“This survey confirms that consumers expect retail Web sites to perform well for them, regardless of how many other shoppers are also visiting the site,” said Matt Poepsel, Vice President, Performance Strategies, Gomez Division. “It’s also clear that when shoppers encounter Web performance problems, their patience and loyalty run thin. Once a customer has left your site, chances are they are not going to give you a second chance--and few retailers can afford to lose business this way.”

Web application performance is no longer just a concern for I.T. teams: numerous studies have proven the direct link to a company’s business performance. In fact Aberdeen Group found that issues with application performance impact corporate revenues by up to nine percent1. There is also proof that speeding up Web sites improves online business with several major brands citing increases in order value and conversion rates2.

Gomez retained Equation Research to conduct this survey. The sample included 1,500 consumers who had bought a product or service online in the past nine months. Interviews were conducted during December 16-22, 2009.

About Compuware Gomez

Gomez, the Web performance division of Compuware, provides the industry's leading solutions for optimizing the performance, availability, and quality of Web and mobile applications. The on-demand Gomez platform integrates solutions for Web load testing, Web performance management, Web cross-browser testing, and Web performance business analysis that test and measure Web and mobile applications from the "outside-in" — across all users, browsers, devices, and geographies — using a global network of over 100,000 locations. When combined with Compuware Vantage, Gomez offers the industry's only solution for optimizing application performance across the Enterprise and the Internet. Over 3,000 customers worldwide, ranging from small companies to large enterprises — including 12 of the top 20 most visited US Web sites — use Gomez solutions to increase revenue, build brand loyalty and decrease costs.

Follow us on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/Gomez_Inc and http://twitter.com/compuware.

Compuware Corporation

Founded in 1973, Compuware provides software, experts and best practices to ensure applications work well and deliver business value. Compuware solutions optimize application performance across the Enterprise and the Internet for leading organizations around the world, including 46 of the top 50 Fortune 500 companies and 12 of the top 20 most visited U.S. web sites. Learn more at: http://www.compuware.com.

Press Contact

Brenda Menard
Gomez Division, Compuware Corporation
(781) 698-2393
bmenard@gomez.com