Retailers overlook performance monitoring at their own risk, analyst says
Many retailers take for granted that all parts of their web sites function properly, overlooking the fact that under-performing features and slow page downloads may be the cause of poor sales, Jupiter Research analyst Eric Peterson says.
“Site performance monitoring should be on every IT manager’s list of things to do,” Peterson says. “There’s nothing worse than spending 60 cents per click on search engine keywords and then have people click that link only to wait 50-60 seconds for a page to load. Consumers won’t wait.”
At the very least, retailers should monitor the performance of landing pages to which consumers are directed through search engine marketing and on-site promotions, he adds. “If you’re spending a lot to drive traffic to landing pages, you should measure at least a sample of those,” Peterson says.
Retailers also need to think in terms of measuring performance of operations generated internally as well as externally, he adds. In addition to measuring how pages load for visitors coming to a site through Internet search, for example, it’s important to monitor how in-site features are working. For instance, retailers should monitor the primary purchase path and how it handles stress-load situations, he says. “A shopper could cart up $200, but if the system crashes she may shop somewhere else,” Peterson says.
Back...
