CA, Inc. , today announced what they say is the first ever neurological study of consumer reactions to a poor online experience.  You won't know what that is because you are reading this site instead.

They say results from the study prove that many consumers experience 'Web Stress' when trying to make an online purchase. Brain wave analysis from the experiment was intrerpreted to mean that participants had to concentrate up to 50% more when using badly performing websites, while facial muscle and behavioural analysis of the subjects also revealed greater agitation and stress in these periods.

In order to retain customers, attract new ones and prosper during the economic recovery, CA is calling for European businesses to focus on giving their customers the best possible online experience.

CA partnered with Foviance, a 'customer experience' consultancy, to explore 'web stress' in relation to application performance, and its impact on consumer behavior and buying habits.

Catriona Campbell,  behavioral psychologist, Director and Founder of Foviance, said, "Consumers have high expectations of web applications and web sites - to be always available and instantly responsive. This experiment simulated the experience of underperforming web applications for our volunteers. The results show that when online expectations aren't met, people quickly become agitated, confused and have to concentrate 50% more than normal. All these problems can be detected and prevented as long as businesses take a proactive approach to measuring the customer's experience of web applications."

CA  bills itself as the world's leading independent IT management software company.  For more information, visit http://www.ca.com.

Full study: http://www.ca.com/Files/SupportingPieces/final_webstress_survey_report_2...