As a nation, Japan is more connected to the internet than almost any other country in the world. According to statistics from Statista, 91% of the country's 104 million internet users are going online every day.
More interestingly, just 1% of consumers reported going online via their desktop or mobile less than once per month. Couple this with the fact internet usage has jumped from 37.1% of the population in 2000 to 93.3% in 2018 and there's no doubt Japan is at the forefront of the digital revolution.
With daily usage now the norm and historical data suggesting that the number of users will increase by the close of the decade, businesses need to maintain their focus on accessibility. In fact, as per the latest metrics, certain businesses in Japan need to improve page load times in order to remain competitive. Comparing the average times across multiple industries in the UK, US, Germany and Japan, MachMetrics found the latter trailed its peers in most instances. For example, in the finance sector, Japanese websites have the fastest average load time of the four countries at 7.6 seconds. However, when it comes to classified and local online ads, Japanese users are waiting 1.3 seconds longer than their German counterparts (8.3 seconds vs. 7.0 seconds).
Japanese sites need to balance their needs more effectively
Despite coming out top in certain categories, MachMetrics suggests the average waiting times should be closer to three seconds for the best user experience. To improve their services, Japanese businesses need to find ways to make their online platforms more efficient. Load balancing is perhaps the most important consideration for those running international websites that attract a large number of daily visitors. On a local level, such as in-office system, HAProxy protocols are an effective way to distribute and manage site activity. However, when a company is looking to scale up, an open source HAProxy can become problematic.
When you compare HAProxy software to on-edge load balancers, the latter is more suited to international sites. In essence, both systems provide a similar service i.e. they manage site activity to ensure quicker page load times and uninterrupted access in the event of a fault. However, by using on-edge load balancing, companies have minimal installation and maintenance costs. Moreover, with an on-edge load balancer delivered via a CDN solution, load times are 50% faster and consume 70% less bandwidth. However, as a business grows, the cost of an on-edge load balancer will be offset by the additional benefits it offers.
Less is more in today's online economy
Beyond optimizing a site's performance through load balancing, reducing the size of a webpage will also help Japan's online entities offer a better experience. Looking back at MachMetrics' data, the average page size in Japan was larger across almost every sector analyzed. As an example, the average media and entertainment page from a Japanese website is 2.5MB, while a similar product in Germany is just 1.4MB. By cutting down on the amount of extraneous information, web developers in Japan can reduce load times. What's more, by reducing the number of page elements, Japanese businesses can become more proficient in the mobile space. The upshot of this would be increased usage and, therefore, increased revenue.
As it stands, Japan is far from the worst country when it comes to providing a slick online experience. However, with daily usage approaching the 100% mark and inconsistencies across various sectors, there is plenty of room for improvement. Indeed, if Japan is to maintain its status as a global internet hub, optimizing wait times and accessibility is a must for every business with an online interest.
