With shoppers racing for Black Friday bargains, new research reveals 82% say reliable internet is important when shopping a sale, while almost a third of those experiencing ‘WiFi rage’ have lost their connection just as they were about to pay
Black Friday bargain hunters might be ready to fill their baskets, but unreliable WiFi could be enough to send temperatures soaring this sale season.
New research commissioned by Community Fibre has found that almost two thirds (65%) of UK adults have experienced “WiFi rage”, feeling frustrated, annoyed, angry or distressed because of a slow, unreliable or interrupted connection.
And with Black Friday approaching, a solid connection will be vital for some. More than eight in 10 (82%) say reliable internet is important when shopping and making purchases during a sale, including nearly half (48%) who consider it very important.
Among those who say a reliable connection matters during a sale,
- 61% want it to make sure their purchase goes through successfully
- 59% want to avoid problems at checkout
- 50% want to complete their purchases quickly
- 37% say it is important for securing products before they sell out, and
- 34% want to avoid missing limited-time deals.
There’s good reason for the concern.
Of those who have experienced WiFi rage, 29% say their WiFi has dropped out just as they were about to pay for something online, while 18% have experienced a payment failing because of connection problems.
Patience is also in short supply online. On average, people say they become frustrated or annoyed after just 12 seconds when a webpage fails to load immediately.
It all adds extra jeopardy to one of the biggest shopping periods of the year. More than half of adults (58%) have previously bought something during Black Friday or Cyber Monday, while 37% plan to make a purchase this year.
Among previous Black Friday and Cyber Monday shoppers, according to the research:
- 31% have had multiple shopping tabs open at once
- 21% have taken a break from work specifically to buy something, and
- 18% have stayed up until midnight waiting for deals to launch.
Peter Rampling, Chief Commercial Officer at Community Fibre, said:
“When 82% of people say reliable internet matters when shopping a sale, the last thing anyone wants on Black Friday is their WiFi letting them down at checkout. Our Double the Speed offer gives Londoners an opportunity to upgrade their broadband and their speed without increasing the monthly price, with 1 Gbps for just £21 a month.”
Double the Speed Sale
Community Fibre is currently offering a “Double the Speed” sale, and also offers symmetrical upload and download speeds, free installation, no set-up fees and a next-generation WiFi 7 router on 1 Gbps and higher plans. Premium packages include guaranteed whole-home coverage, a bespoke engineer set-up and priority customer support. The double-speed offer is available from 10 November until 11:59pm on 9 December.
