Response time is one key point of di erentiation among electronic commerce (e-commerce) Web sites. Snafu and slow-downs at major Web sites during special events or peak times demonstrate the diAEculty of scaling up ecommerce sites. Such slow response times and down times can be devastating for e-commerce sites as indicated in a recent study by Zona Research[1] on the relationship between Web page download time and user abandonment rate. The study shows that only 2% of users will leave a Web site (i.e. abandonment rate) if the download time is less than 7 seconds. However, The abandonment rate goes up to 70% when the download time is around 12 seconds. This study clearly establishes the importance of fast response times to an e-commerce Web site to retain its customers.