Speed is a critical factor when it comes to converting browsers into buyers but it's often forgotten and other factors prioritised instead. Using real data from UK retailers this talk explores the relationship between speed and conversion

1. Speed: The ‘Forgotten’ Conversion Factor
@AndyDavies NCC Group May 2017
https://www.flickr.com/photos/josepina/286052072/

2. How we commonly think of conversions…
https://www.flickr.com/photos/z0/19814021505

3. But in reality ‘conversions’ come in many forms
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lb1gb/2579266652

4. It’s not just about getting visitors to buy things!
- sign ups / subscriptions
- completing tasks
- clicking on adverts
- sharing things
- finding a store / restaurant

5. Many things affect conversion
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nelc/1208393486

6. Conversion varies by Landing Page
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Bounce & Conversion Rate
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%
Conversion Rate
Bounce Rate

7. And by device too…
iPhone 6/7
iPhone 5/5s
iPad
iPhone 6/7 Plus
Galaxy S6
Galaxy S7 Edge
Galaxy S7
Galaxy S6 Edge
Galaxy S5
Galaxy A3
Conversion / Bounce Rate
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%
Conversion Rate
Bounce Rate

8. ConversionRate
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
Screen Area (‘000 Pixels)
0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000
Desktop
Mobile
Tablet
And maybe even by screen size?

9. ConversionRate
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
Screen Area (‘000 Pixels)
0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000
Desktop
Mobile
Tablet
But revenue can be heavily skewed

10. So how does Speed affect Conversion?

11. Impressions
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
Page Load Time (s)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Desktop
Mobile
Tablet
Different visitors have different experiences…

12. Impressions
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
Page Load Time (s)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Desktop
Mobile
Tablet
50%50%
And many of them are having slow ones

13. ConversionRate
0%
1%
2%
3%
4%
5%
6%
BounceRate
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Page Load Time (s)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Bounce Rate
Conversion Rate
It affects Conversion and Bounce Rates

14. ConversionRate
0%
1%
2%
3%
4%
5%
6%
BounceRate
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Page Load Time (s)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Bounce Rate
Conversion Rate
It affects Conversion and Bounce Rates
Conversion Rate
drops by 1% over
3 seconds

15. BounceRate
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Page Load Time (s)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Desktop
Mobile
Tablet
Of course Bounce Rate varies by device type

16. ConversionRates
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
Page Load Time (s)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Desktop
Mobile
Tablet
As does Conversion Rate too

17. BounceRate
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Page Load Time (s)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Site 1
Site 2
Site 3
Every site has a different Bounce Rate profile

18. ConversionRate
0%
2.5%
5%
7.5%
10%
Page Load Time (s)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Site 1
Site 3
Site 4
And yup… Conversion Rate curves vary between sites too
Lower end of range
can be very noisy

19. ‘OK, I’m convinced but…’

20. How do I convince everyone else?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/text100/8265351472

21. Case studies are a great place to start
https://wpostats.com

22. But there’s nothing better than having something made to measure
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fronx/2862975043

23. Interlude

24. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHSUp7msCIE
Vs
iPhone 6
on WiFi

25. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHSUp7msCIE
Vs
iPhone 6
on WiFi

26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHSUp7msCIE
Vs
iPhone 6
on WiFi

27. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHSUp7msCIE
Vs
iPhone 6
on WiFi

28. Wait… they changed all four wheels?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cellardoorfilms/7620375702

29. Response Time in Man-computer Conversational Transactions
Robert B. Miller, 1968
Instant
Seamless
Yawn!
100ms 1s 10s

30. So yes, our attention span is shorted than a goldfish
https://www.flickr.com/photos/watts_photos/23124797946

31. Working? Useful? Usable?
What are we thinking when a page is loading?

32. Focus on reducing Time to Useful and Useable…
Becoming useful
Becoming usable
What’s happening here?

33. Small changes… can make a big difference!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/genevieve719/10110046076

38. Optimise your fonts
http://www.flickr.com/photos/splorp/4951916342

39. Tame your Third-Parties

40. Manage images effectively
https://www.flickr.com/photos/orkomedix/5026054826

41. Use the Platform

42. Test on realistic devices

43. Understand the critical path
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dno1967b/8347363864

44. How much is 150ms improvement worth?
(was 300ms on Android)

45. https://www.flickr.com/photos/basheertome/4762529213

46. http://www.flickr.com/photos/auntiep/5024494612
@AndyDavies
andy.davies@nccgroup.trust
http://slideshare.net/andydavies