Online shopping makes us grumpy

WITH THE FESTIVE SEASON on our doorstep, millions of laggards around the world are flocking to their computers to find that special 'whatever I can still get delivered in time' for their loved ones.

As we have been reliably informed in the past, the Internet is just a series of tubes, and it seems that the tubes are struggling to keep up with all these shoppers who are strapped for time.

According to networking firm Brocade, around a third of UK punters shopping online get steamed the most by slow websites, with many having a patience limit of just 10 seconds before slamming the tab shut and wasting even more time trying to look elsewhere for their stocking stuffers.

Apparently other things that make us go a seasonal shade of red are unwanted pop-up ads (24 per cent), too many order entry fields or webpages to slog through (18 per cent) and websites that lack visual impact (8 per cent).

In true UK fashion, we also seem quite happy with grumbling to all and sundry about the torturous wait and extra clicks we had to endure in the pursuit of presents.

"Online shopping has always been about convenience, but as more and more of us ditch the high street for the computer, the UK's network infrastructure is becoming increasingly congested," said Paul Phillips, regional director for UK and Ireland at Brocade.

Apparently lots of people have short memories about the hell that is Oxford Street in December, as just over two-thirds of those polled said they will be doing less online shopping this year compared to last.

"What's evident from this research is that the UK's current network infrastructure is struggling to cope with its appetite for online shopping, and if the government and retailers don't act fast they could well be on Santa's naughty list next year," quipped Phillips.

Brocade's sentiments were echoed by those of web hosting firm Fasthosts, whose own survey into the matter found that eight out of ten online shoppers encounter slow websites at Christmas time, with 42 per cent abandoning purchases as a result.

"In these days of high speed broadband, Internet shoppers expect rapid responses. If your web site doesn't react quickly, if your server platform has technical problems or inadequacies, it's almost certain you are losing purchasers," chimed in Internet psychologist, Graham Jones. µ