LEXINGTON, Mass., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Talbots, a leading specialty retailer and direct marketer of women's apparel, shoes and accessories, recently benefitted from an on-demand Web load test from Gomez, Inc. (www.gomez.com) that helped optimize the peak performance of the completely redesigned talbots.com Web site, prior to launch.

Talbot's new site was built using multiple Ajax and rich Internet applications technologies, including third-party features like video, pop-up zoom, and wish lists to satisfy customers' increasing expectations for rich and engaging online shopping experiences. To proactively ensure the best end-user experience especially during the upcoming holiday shopping season, Talbots used Gomez's load test solution to evaluate how its site would perform under peak loads from their online shoppers' point of view.

Gomez's solution enabled Talbots to create "real-world" load generated from end-user-owned, consumer-grade desktop computers in different geographies, using different local ISPs and connection speeds, and combine it with high-volume, cloud-generated load. This unique approach helps businesses assess Web site performance under peak loads from the "outside-in," by testing all the elements that comprise a complex Web application including third-party services and content delivery networks, and measuring response times as experienced by end-users. This insight helps businesses find opportunities to optimize performance even before a new application is launched.

"Web site speed and reliability are critical to successful e-commerce and given the richness and complexity of our new Web site, being proactive about testing was paramount," said Kate Goodman, Talbots' Director of E-Commerce. "Gomez's 'real-world' load test provided us with the confidence we needed going into the busy holiday shopping season."

"Load testing from inside-the-firewall or just using cloud-generated load only assesses your infrastructure's headroom, not your customers' online experiences," said Matt Poepsel, Gomez's VP of Performance Strategies. "Only by testing from where your customers are located, on the types of computers and ISPs they really use, can you truly preview how peak loads might cause slow load times, errors and ultimately, shopping cart abandonment."

About Talbots

The Talbots, Inc. is a leading specialty retailer and direct marketer of women's apparel, shoes and accessories. At the end of second quarter 2009, the Company operated 588 Talbots brand stores in 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. Talbots brand on-line shopping site is located at www.talbots.com.

About Gomez

Gomez, Inc. (www.gomez.com) is the leader in Web application experience management, providing an on-demand platform that organizations use to optimize the performance, availability, and quality of their Web and mobile applications. The Gomez platform identifies business-impacting issues by testing and measuring Web applications from the "outside-in" - across all users, browsers, devices, and geographies - using a global network of over 100,000 locations. The self-service Gomez platform integrates Web load testing, Web performance management, cross-browser testing, and Web performance business analysis. Over 2,500 customers worldwide, ranging from small companies to large enterprises - including 12 of the top 20 most visited US Web sites - use Gomez to increase revenue, build brand loyalty, and decrease costs.

Gomez is a registered service mark of Gomez, Inc. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

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SOURCE Gomez, Inc.