• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, August 23, 2005

A new survey by Hostway Inc., conducted bu TNS, reports that more than 70% of consumers said that they're unlikely to purchase from, or even return to, a web site after encountering a pet peeve. And, because only 25% of consumers say they'll complain to the companies about their pet peeves, the use of features that annoy consumers may be having a negative impact that's difficult to trace or measure.

John Lee, vice president of marketing at Hostway, says "The Internet has matured to the point where consumers demand an easy online experience. ... Consumers are warning companies, 'You're going to lose my business if your web site experience is annoying.'"

Pet peeves, according to the survey:

• 93% of consumers say pop-up ads are annoying or extremely annoying
• 89% are annoyed at the need to install extra software
• 86% said dead links are annoying or extremely annoying
• 84% said confusing navigation is annoying or extremely annoying
• 83% express annoyance with registration log-on pages that block access to online content
• 83% said slow-loading pages are annoying or extremely annoying
• 80% said ineffective site-search tools are annoying or extremely annoying

Comparatively fewer consumers ranked aesthetic characteristics of web sites annoying:

• 59% of consumers think moving text is annoying or extremely annoying
• 55% feel strongly that poor appearance in regard to color, fonts and format are annoying or extremely annoying.

Finally, the survey measured the likelihood of consumer responses when encountering their top pet peeves:

• 74% are extremely or somewhat likely to unsubscribe from the company's promotions or messages
• 71% are extremely or somewhat likely to view the company in a negative way 
• 55% are extremely or somewhat likely to complain about the web site to friends/associates

"These results clearly show that consumers will make a behavioral change if they encounter a web site that annoys them," said Lee.

Source of data: Hostway and TNS, july 2005

For more details and charts, select this link.