Why Interaction to Next Paint (INP) score Matters for Your E-Commerce?

Introduction

Understanding INP

Why INP Matters For Your E-commerce Site?

• Conversion Rate: The direct correlation between website speed and conversion rates makes a good INP score necessary. A seamless website experience leads to happier customers who are more likely to complete their purchases and return for more.
• SEO: While it is too early to speculate, Google’s commitment to improving overall user experience only tells us that INP might play a role in search rankings. A well-optimized website with a low INP will definitely go straight up in the rankings.
• Retention: A speedy, Flash-like website creates a positive brand perception. Customers who experience a responsive website will keep returning to you, ultimately fostering customer loyalty.

How to Improve/Optimize INP Score E-commerce Platforms?

• Shopify

• Image Management: Images with high resolutions can slow your webpage's load time and impact your INP score. You must utilize image compression tools and consider implementing a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to deliver images faster without affecting the quality of your website's images.
• Third-Party Applications: Too much dependence on several outsourcing applications and software can slow your page. Hence, you must reduce your reliance on third-party apps, especially those causing performance bottlenecks.
• Theme Management: For your webpage design, you must choose themes that require a clean, lightweight codebase. You can also purchase the custom theme development if you are not satisfied with the pre-made options.

• Magento

• Code Minification: Complex coding and unsupervised and heavy file size often lead to lower INP Score. You must keep monitoring and reviewing your codebase for any inefficiencies that might be lagging your website. Consider minifying and combining JavaScript and CSS files to reduce the number of HTTP requests.
• Caching: Sometimes, your caching mechanism is inefficient in accelerating page rendering when it goes live. Hence, you must put server-side caching systems in place to reduce the load on your server and improve page load times. You can make use of caching plugins or extensions exclusively designed for Magento.

• WooCommerce

• Image Optimization: Like Shopify, WooCommerce can make your user experience difficult if images are too heavy and not optimized. To ensure fast image delivery, consider utilizing image compression tools and an effective CDN.
• Plugin Selection: We often forget to choose compatible and well-updated plug-ins for the online store. You must analyze your needs and plug-in offerings before selecting any plug-in software or application for your website. 

• BigCommerce

• CDN Integration: CDN is one of the most important aspects of page-load delivery. If it is not well incorporated, it often slows down your screen. You must integrate a CDN to offer static content (images, JavaScript, CSS) from geographically distributed servers that are closer to your user base. This can significantly improve the INP score for customers in different locations.
• Coding mechanisms: Like other e-commerce platforms, you can minify and optimize your code to reduce file sizes and improve webpage loading. And guess what? BigCommerce has built-in minification features. You can also use plugins for further optimization.

• PrestaShop

• Module Range: Not compatible and poorly coded modules have often been the main reason behind slow page loads. Therefore, you must choose modules that are well-coded, secured, actively maintained, and optimized for performance.
• Server Improvisation: When selecting a hosting plan, you must ensure your provider offers a server environment that can manage and take your PrestaShop store demands and needs. Consider upgrading your hosting plan or migrating to a provider specializing in e-commerce hosting.
• Lazy Loading: You can change the “not too important yet too heavy content” to enhance your INP score. For instance, you can initiate lazy loading for non-critical content, such as images below the fold or content related to SEO. This ensures faster initial page load times and a smoother user experience.

Universal INP Optimization Measures (For All Platforms):

• JavaScript Execution: You must invest in efficient JavaScript execution and code minification to reduce website load times. You can consider code splitting and asynchronous loading for non-critical files.
• Browser Caching: Browser caching mechanisms store frequently accessed resources (like images and CSS) locally on the user's device.
• Critical Resources Approach: To satisfy the internal audit and page load systems, you must first analyze and then prioritize critical resources that need to load to render the page content. This ensures a faster first impression for your visitors.
• Image Sizes: As mentioned earlier, image optimization is crucial for all platforms. Use image compression tools extensively and consider different image formats (like JPEG or WebP) depending on the image type.
• Monitor Regularly: You can also utilize Google PageSpeed Insights or several other website performance testing options to test and monitor your website's INP score regularly. This allows identify areas for improvement and track the progress of your efforts.

How Can Dedicated WeDoWebApps Developers Make A Difference?

• Experience: Our team of experienced developers has many years of collective experience and possesses in-depth knowledge of optimizing INP for various e-commerce platforms. We can identify limitations, follow best practices, and ensure your website performs at lightning speed.
• Strategic Approach: We at WeDoWebApps often take a holistic yet strategic approach to INP optimization, beyond code or themes. We'll first understand your specific needs and traffic patterns to develop a customized optimization strategy.
• Continuous Support: We provide ongoing support to ensure your website remains optimized and delivers a consistently smooth user experience at all times. Hence, we keep testing and monitoring the INP scores and revisit our optimization measures to send you the report card regularly.

Conclusion