When the Web matters

Harish Menon

At a time when three out of four Internet users in rural India go online via mobile networks, lines between offline and online shopping experiences are blurring. As per a recent McKinsey report, India will have more than 100 million Internet-enabled smart devices and more than 150 million consumers with low cost, high speed Internet access. As more and more Internet users go online to browse and purchase, there is a strong demand for e-commerce companies to boost their web experiences to ensure the end user has the safest, fastest and smoothest experience possible in order to ensure customer loyalty and enhanced brand value.

Logging on to a website from a computer - opening a browser and typing in a URL to get to a website is no longer the way we experience what the different content providers have to offer - be it e-commerce, news, shopping or gaming. We increasingly use smartphones, tablets and other connected devices to access an app, and directly stream radio content or tune into apps for traffic updates, having evolved into constantly connected users.

All this creates an intense uniqueness of each of our Internet experiences, which has caused a shift from the need to optimize browser-based websites to providing a more ubiquitous and consistent Web experience. The new approach enables consumers to connect at any time, from any device, which is what the hyperconnected consumer wants. But the flip side of this is that it leaves online businesses struggling to adapt, as a lot of resource goes in to trying to assimilate multiple devices, browsers, networks and content to maintain a consistent user experience.

Web Experience is Crucial

Customers expect fast and quality Web experiences independent of the browser, device, technology or network they use. Failure to a deliver rich, engaging and fast Web experience can result in lower revenues. According to Aberdeen Group, a 1-second delay in load time can mean 11 percent fewer page views, a 16 percent decrease in customer satisfaction, and seven percent loss in conversions.

A growing trend of mobile video consumption is being noticed. According to Ericsson’s ConsumerLab study, mobile video usage is evolving, with mobile broadband users spending 61 percent more time on video apps compared to non-users. Indian smartphone users now spend 191 minutes per day on smartphones, compared to 128 minutes watching TV. As more and more Indians choose to consume content via their mobile phones, enterprises must look to enhance and boost their Web experiences to further boost their audience and customer base while gaining a larger share of sales.

Now, while the online content we use is still hosted, it no longer feels like a website. The current shift is towards ubiquity and companies are trying to arrive at that immersive experience for their customers where content is modified, optimized and delivered over the different channels and media that the customer has – desktop, mobile, smart TVs, gaming consoles and soon - cars and refrigerators. Truly, the age of Web experience/IOT has dawned upon us. This was evident at the recently concluded Google IO conference where the search giant focused on connected devices; watches, thermostats, Smart TV’s and VR Headsets. All this has necessitated a shift in how Web performance is optimized and measured. It’s no longer enough to cache and accelerate dynamic Web content in a homogenous way for all users.

Enter Situational Web Experience

The proliferation of smart devices and the rise in application complexity required to deliver a meaningful end user experience tailored to each consumer, demands a new kind of an intelligent Web performance optimization.

A ‘situational performance’ approach to Web experience tightly integrates the delivery, acceleration, and optimization technologies with the required intelligence to make real-time Web experience optimization decisions based on the requirements of any given and unique situation. This gives online businesses the ability to deliver consistent acceleration to all users while providing critical scalability and optimized Web experience regardless of the fragmentation we are seeing in the four critical areas that make up hyperconnectivity:

• Network infrastructure – Different networks with different speeds and latency issues will, by default, create a very different Web experience for end user. Latency is higher for wireless connections and grows with distance, and significantly affects Web experience.

• Browser type – According to GigaOm PRO research, websites are now viewed on as many as 10 browsers and platforms. To make it worse, same browsers perform differently on different platforms (Mac or PC, mobile or desktop).

• Device characteristics – Capabilities such as responsive design when it comes to Web design techniques, help reduces resizing and scrolling to improve reading and navigation on smaller screens. This is important but screen size is only one element that differs on devices. Operating systems, processing power, and memory also affect Web experience.

• Third Party Content Integration – Users today demand richer experiences that utilize a combination of first- and third-party content and services that are assembled in real-time at the browser, often causing performance issues. This environment is often nightmarish for content providers because now the content they do not control is also responsible for the perception of their online property by the customers.

The situational performance approach to Web experience has shifted the focus away from simple websites to highly engaging Web experiences delivered across different browsers, networks and devices. If a company is not optimizing its site for a specific context – whether it is the user’s device, location, or intent, it is at a disadvantage to its competitors and risks losing revenue.

The author is head – Web Experience Products Asia Pacific & Japan, Akamai Technologies.