A study has indicated that global tablet users have high expectations for web experiences and a third are less likely to make purchases online from companies that don’t meet those expectations.

Compuware’s study, Engaging the Tablet User: What They Expect from Websites (focused on tablet users’ web experience expectations), highlighted that tablet users expect websites and transactions to work flawlessly. Their expectations have been shaped in part by years of using powerful PCs to access fast websites delivered by Internet leaders like Amazon and Google. The survey reveals that users expect tablets to perform as fast, or faster, than on a desktop or laptop computer at home.

As per the results, four out of 10 global tablet users have experienced a problem when accessing websites. Among those that experienced a problem, two-thirds reported slow load times, and more than four out of ten experienced website crashes or problems with website functions.

Key survey findings:

Poor web experiences on tablets impact the bottom line

·          A bad website experience will also drive 46 percent of tablet users to competitive websites; 35 percent are less likely to visit the problematic website on any platform; and 33 percent are less likely to purchase from that company.

·          Nearly half of tablet users will retry a website only once or twice if it did not work initially.

Tablet users’ web experience expectations are high

·          Almost 70 percent of tablet users expect a website to load in two seconds or less.

Website issues are common for tablet users

·          Among those who have experienced a problem, slow load times are the most frequently cited issue (66 percent), followed by site crashes (44 percent), problems with site functions (42 percent) and issues with site format (40 percent).

Shopping

Consumers appear to be more readily embracing mobile as a go-to platform for shopping.

Another study released this week shared that an overwhelming 77 percent of consumers who own a tablet computer indicated they use either a tablet or a smartphone to shop.

According to a survey conducted by PriceGrabber, a part of Experian, when consumers who use their mobile devices for shopping were asked how often they make purchases from their mobile devices, 40 percent said a couple times a month, 23 percent said once a week, 20 percent said a few times a year, and 10 percent said daily. The survey includes responses from 1,829 U.S. online shopping consumers, 22 percent of whom indicated that they own a tablet computer.

Consumers are becoming savvier and approaching mobile shopping from every angle by downloading not just one, but a variety of shopping-related apps that can offer them everything from price drops to bar code scanning to coupons, said Graham Jones, general manager of PriceGrabber.

Jones added, “We expect mobile shopping to be game-changing as consumers increasingly enact various strategies to find the best prices and retailers inevitably expand their mobile presence.”

Behaviour

Thereis no question that the smartphone is a different device from the laptop, which is different from the tablet. On the web travellers plan and explore, compare and research. They also book and transact. On the tablet, they dream and explore, get inspired and definitely transact.

“Travel is one of those few and lucky verticals that is so broad and engaging that it actually works on various screens – but travel content and service providers need to be thoughtful about what to optimise for each screen and what to carry through to all to convey a consistent and integrated experience and message,” Katherine Bose, Director, Mobile Partnerships, Americas, TripAdvisor recently told EyeforTravel’s Ritesh Gupta.

Katherine said the example of maps is very handy – maps are critical on the smartphone and having GPS can be a lifesaver.

“A map on your laptop helps you plan certainly, but the immediate importance is rarely as profound as is the use case with your phone. Network speed - searching and finding what you need instantly is another must-have when you are in the field as a traveller. Photos on the other hand deserve a large screen. Browsing, dreaming, shopping, becoming inspired – these magazine-like qualities are what make the tablet such a spectacular device. Those and the fact that people can make purchases with virtually frictionless ease,” Katherine said.

Approach

With each platform and device comes unique opportunities and behaviour.

Importantly, one should always look at doing both smartphone and tablet development.

“Tablet penetration is now such that end users are disappointed if they cannot find your app designed for and available on at a minimum the iPad,” says Todd Kelly, Vice President of Mobile for LodgeNet.

Specialists recommend that for mobile one should be laser focused on making it easier for users to complete their task, while for the tablet user one should let users explore and connect with the content.

“What problems can we solve for travellers before, during and after their trip? That’s something that we’re constantly thinking about at TripIt,” says Lisa Silveria, Senior Manager of Product, TripIt. “In the last year we made a big push into the tablet space with an emphasis on maps. With our iPad app, we gave travellers a way to engage with their trip geographically– the “where” vs. the “when” of their trip plans - for the first time.”

Travel companies are keenly observing how travellers are utilising their smartphones and tablets for their needs, and accordingly, they are opting for designs and features that help them to serve their customers better and also make their offering more consistent across platforms.

The way users are interacting with their tablets is also shaping up user experience for other screens, too. For instance, last month, mobile trip organiser TripIt came up with a new way to let users access trip maps and get directions on TripIt.com, making it easy for travellers to navigate every part of their journey - from the airport to the hotel and beyond. TripIt originally introduced a map-centric design on TripIt for iPad, giving travellers a way to interact with their trips geographically. The company says the new itinerary map view lets users interact with their entire trip geographically.  

Overall, it is clear that users are now familiar enough with the tradeoffs between PC, tablet, and smartphone to make intelligent decisions.

As Kelly points out, users now see each platform form factor with a consideration to time and place, meaning they weigh their specific set of circumstances and choice to the platform that will offer the best experience available.