Compuware Corporation has launched new website performance benchmarks in Canada. The new benchmarks for the automotive, banking, brokerage, and insurance industries allow companies to compare and track website performance against competitors and market leaders.

Compuware Gomez benchmarks rank the web and mobile site performance of leading companies within an industry to determine which companies are providing the best online experiences and the companies that are not meeting users' expectations.

This comparative measurement helps companies gauge user expectations in their industry and make informed decisions about investing in their online operations. Benchmarking allows companies to proactively manage website performance and improve online experiences to drive increased profitability.

Online shoppers in Canada spent C$15.30 billion (US$15.02 billion) on goods and services purchased over the Internet last year, according to a report from Statistics Canada. Online channels have become the preferred way to access personal information and to carry out transactions - bank transfers and bill payment, managing an online investment portfolio, vehicle search and purchase process, and shopping for insurance. By improving website performance, businesses have an opportunity to attract new customers and forge deeper relationships by providing a better online experience.

"Canadian companies need to consider the performance, availability and overall quality of the online experience they're offering customers," said Jonathan Ranger, Gomez Benchmark Practice Director at Compuware. "Benchmarks not only provide valuable insight for Canadian businesses into how their website performance compares with competitors and market leaders, but also a tool for measuring performance over time."

Gomez Benchmarks are an impartial, quantitative measurement of comparative web and mobile site performance and rank the web and mobile performance of companies across three key metrics:

* Response Time — measures the time elapsed while downloading a page or an entire multistep transaction process.

* Availability — measures the percentage of successfully completed tests out of total test attempts for the measurement period.

* Consistency — measures the standard deviation of the response time of successful tests completed.