No one really likes having to wait for content to download, but none more so than Germans, an international study of online consumer behaviour suggests.
Germans have low patience thresholds for download speeds – 74pc less than Americans, 70pc less than French, and 43pc less than the Spanish, the Webreep online consumer study suggests.
The co-author of the study, online consumer psychologist Dr Brent Coker, said high expectations for information quality are linked to intrinsic motivations for precision.
“People who place high value on factual and accurate information are very accurate and precise in their behaviour,” Coker said.
“The data suggests Germans are very goal directed when using the internet, and exceptionally critical of the information available.”
Germany has one of the more advanced broadband networks, though they have low tolerance for websites downloading, Coker added.
“Again, this appears to be related to precise goal-directed behaviour, which we also have witnessed in German industry as one of the world’s most successful economies,” Coker said.
Coker also offers insight on social media giants and their future success, based on the study’s findings that indicate websites with the most loyalty and word-of-mouth were simple to use.
“This could explain why phenomenally successful websites like Pinterest and Instagram have taken centre stage,” said Coker.
“Facebook and LinkedIn should focus on ease-of-use if they want to survive.”
The Webreep online consumer survey analysed consumer behaviour on the internet between May 2011 and May 2012. Some 36,000 participants were distributed across the US, France, Germany, Spain, Australia, China, and Russia.
