Mobile Speed: Only 5% of Mobile Websites in Germany Load Within One Second
If your mobile website takes too long to load, you’ve lost your user — it’s just that simple. Studies show mobile conversion rates drop significantly if a page takes longer than one second to load. Significantly, only a handful of some of Germany’s most visited websites actually makes the grade.
This is the key takeaway of the new analysis conducted by the MMA Germany in partnership with Google. Their latest Mobile Speed Leaderboard data reveals that only 5 percent of German websites load in under one second.
The latest iteration of the Mobile Speed Leaderboards compared not only individual site loading times but also mobile website loading times across countries globally. Germany finished in the lower-middle range, behind DACH neighbors Switzerland and Austria.
Germany lags behind in the Mobile Speed Race
The average mobile website loading time in Germany is 2.6 seconds.
Among the top countries, Germany ranked 15th. Taiwan was fastest at 2.4 seconds, followed closely by Switzerland.
This is an unsettling outcome in a market where users are losing patience, now expecting a mobile website loading time of less than one second — hardly the blink of an eye.
“Loading time delays not only result in poor user experience but also mean lost revenue for brands and companies,” says Mark Wächter, Chair MMA Germany. “When potential customers choose to leave a website, they simply go to the competition and shop there.”
The need for speed is real and the lack of it can make or break a business. But even more surprising is how few companies appear to understand and appreciate how significantly mobile loading time impacts revenue, observes Dominik Woeber, Head of Mobile & Display Solutions, Central Europe, Google. “Although 70 percent of users consider page load speed a key purchase decision factor, only three percent of companies treat it as a key priority,” he explains.
But some companies make the “1 Second Club”
But not all companies are so complacent. Some companies strive to reach and beat the one-second benchmark, the golden standard research shows is a must for mobile websites determined to reach and convert consumers high on expectation and low on patience.
These high-performance companies are also members of the “1 Second Club” in recognition of their notable achievement and ability of their mobile websites to load in one second or less. To date, just eight — or 3.2 percent — of Germany’s 250 most-visited mobile websites have joined the ranks of the 1 Second Club.
Hotel booking platform Booking.com came out on top of the latest Mobile Speed Leaderboard results, posting the fastest mobile website loading time among Germany’s 250 most-visited domains and beating the one second mark.
“At Booking.com, we aim to provide a seamless user experience, especially on mobile, and hence site speed is one of the key business priorities for us. Showing critical content early helps users plan their trips faster which leads to better conversion and retention. Site performance is now deeply integrated in our product development process as we seek to remove even more friction from the overall travel experience.”
– Rachit Kulshrestha, Product Manager, Booking.com
Mail order retailer Otto also understands the pivotal role of mobile speed in a strategy for global success. Last year, the OTTO Group embarked on its own efforts to increase mobile loading times, resulting in wins across the company and its affiliates that saw speeds increase by an impressive 20 percent. Fast forward, and the Mobile Speed Leaderboard analysis from the MMA Germany and Google places otto.de is among the eight fastest mobile websites in Germany and at the top of its vertical in the 1 Second Club.
“Speed is key when it comes to customer-centricity. Together with Google, we are, therefore, working on it continuously. With this in mind, I’m very pleased that we achieved a very good 4th place in the Google & MMA ranking with otto.de.”
– Olaf Schlüter, Division Manager, E-Commerce Product Management & User Experience Design, OTTO
To determine the line-up in the latest Mobile Speed Leaderboards, MMA Germany and Google analyzed mobile loading time of Germany’s 250 most-visited mobile websites across the Retail and Travel verticals, as well as 17 additional industries, including Consumer Electronics.
The analysis determined that at 2.1 seconds, websites for job portals and delivery services loaded fastest. On average, Retail and Travel sites posted loading times of 2.5 seconds and 3.0 seconds, respectively.
The findings were compared with site speed from a year ago, revealing a 25 percent improvement in overall mobile loading times for job portals and delivery services. Retail mobile sites saw a smaller improvement of 13 percent, consistent with the 19 percent improvement in the travel industry.
Mobile Speed matters — and here’s why
Mobile loading times don’t just matter to e-commerce players. They also affect the success of brick-and-mortar retailers. Indeed, 62 percent of Germans say they often use their mobile devices to make purchasing decisions. From finding and researching products and services, to comparing prices and checking if favorite items are in stock, time-strapped consumers demand websites that respond quickly and completely to their needs.
To help you meet these key requirements here are 5 top tips you can follow to optimize your mobile website:
- Stay current on the latest mobile speed tools like Test My Site and make your website’s speed a priority for your company and your developers.
- Set clear targets, such as a mobile loading time of under one second. Continuously measure and optimize your website’s performance.
- Learn from the best and follow the examples set by companies like OTTO. (Find more success cases at Think with Google.)
- Test new technology standards like Accelerated Mobile Pages. AMP lets you design flawless and attractive websites that load instantly.
- Fast loading time is one of your biggest advantages, but don’t forget about optimizing your website’s overall usability.
You can find more helpful tips at Mobile speed: 10 must-observe points for all website operators (in German).
Editor’s note: A special thanks to Think With Google, which has granted us permission to excerpt this article from the original in German.
