Website Performance Trends for Target and J.Crew Teach Valuable Lessons

In this month's edition of SmartBear Software's Retailer Web Performance Report Card, I once again analyze and highlight recent website performance for the top 50 retailers. With the help of SmartBear's AlertSite, I've looked at website response times, accounting for elapsed time for all website objects including images, JavaScript, Flash and third-party objects, collected from various dispersed locations in the first two weeks of March. I also looked at the all-important website availability percentage that measures site accessibility. The lucky (and not so lucky) highlighted retailers this month are Target and J.Crew, respectively.

I'm happy to report current website performance for Target is looking good, and I'm guessing its aggressive move for optimum availability and response times is no coincidence with the brand's desire for a stronger online presence. Target recently announced an agreement to acquire online cooking and kitchenware retailers CHEFS Catalog and Cooking.com. Last month, the nation's second-largest retailer reported its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings were down 2 percent. In a recent article, Target said it was looking for new ways to increase sales in this sluggish economy. Expanding its online presence is a no-brainer, but sales are only as good as your site's performance. Target is on the right track in more ways than one.

The retail giant's availability was at the top spot at 100 percent, holding steady from last month. Target jumped 18 spots in response time from early February, ranking No. 17 with an average of 3.0681 seconds, up from No. 35 at 5.0874 seconds. While I like to see response time at three seconds or less, the bigger story here is the fact that Target shaved a whopping two seconds off response time, which typically translates into a significant jump in online sales. Compared to the benchmark average of the top 50 (3.9275 seconds), Target is doing very well among its peers.

Unfortunately our friends at J.Crew haven't been as good of an example in optimum website performance. The retailer ranked No. 41 in response time at 5.2669 seconds, down from No. 27 (3.8852 seconds) in early February. That type of response time translates into potential buyers bailing on the site before its pages even load. The news wasn't much better for J.Crew's site availability, ranking No. 47 at 98.91 percent, down from No. 14 (99.92 percent) last month.

It's possible J.Crew is still feeling the stress of increased traffic from January's Inauguration Day, when First Lady Michele Obama wore the brand's rhinestone belt and daughter Malia donned its pink coat. But J.Crew, and all online retailers for that matter, should be prepared for such website surges at any time. The company has been down this road before, as the fashion trend-setting First Family has been known to sport J.Crew since taking the spotlight in 2009. It's unfortunate the brand doesn't seem to be learning from experience and, in turn, is losing out on revenue.

Sudden traffic surges can sometimes be difficult to predict, but if you should be so lucky, be prepared to handle the capacity and reap the rewards. Here's how:

• Have a crash plan. The decision to save money now and not have a plan should your website crash could cost you lots more in the long run.
• Continuously monitor the customer experience. Test your site's load time during particularly busy times to see how it's handling the traffic.
• Review third-party content. Do you use a content delivery network (CDN) provider to manage large, dynamic content? Make sure you're getting and reviewing performance reports often.

To see a snapshot of our top 50 retailers’ website performance for the week of March 4, click here.

Neil Garnichaud is vice president and general manager of SmartBear Software. Neil can be reached at neil.garnichaud@smartbearsoftware.com.