European Internet Usage

  • by October 31, 2000
More people online, more access points and more usage intensity will define the next era of the Internet in Europe, according to the latest findings from Jupiter Research, part of Jupiter MMXI. To succeed in the 'Everyday Internet' era, companies must move beyond the computer and tech-centric web and integrate the Internet into their everyday business, researchers suggest. The boundaries that have separated Internet start-ups and traditional businesses will disappear as the web evolves to a mass-market 'Everyday Internet', where consumers access the Internet from not only their PC's but also Digital TV (DTV), mobile phones and other devices. However, despite increased multi-platform online access, Jupiter Research predicts that by 2003 the PC will still be the dominant channel, accounting for 87% of commercial and advertising revenues, with DTV at 11% and mobile at only 2%. The research shows that European businesses have yet to understand how to use the new mediums. "Just as the traditional companies were slow to get on the web, today's web portals, e-commerce and content companies have made the mistake of simply distributing their website to Interactive TV and wireless without understanding what consumers want from these new mediums," said Noah Yasskin, Director of European Research at Jupiter. The findings from the first European Jx Market Intelligence report analyzed online users and market trends in the UK, Germany and France on a monthly basis since March. The results demonstrate the market trend towards an 'Everyday Internet': both volume and intensity of usage have increased with consumers spending more time on sites that fulfill their daily needs. Usage habits are evolving, with each local market showing its own behavioral patterns. With relatively high online penetration but low usage intensity, the UK is a market where usage intensity's importance as a driver of overall growth increased dramatically. This was especially true in the entertainment category, where reach grew 50% but the amount of time the average user actually spent increased 311%, propelled by the popularity of sites related to offline television programs. As they gain online tenure, German users have been leaving the familiarity of their proprietary ISPs to explore a greater variety of online activities. Users in Germany spent 27% more minutes online each month, shifting time from all-encompassing portals to utility-focused sites in specialized categories. In France, despite new user growth of 34%, the minutes spent online by each user per month increased by 7%. Lowered access costs and more relevant local content spurred notable usage intensity growth in content-oriented categories such as Hobbies, Entertainment and Community. Jupiter Research predicts that the Internet will become dominated by those traditional companies that can successfully make the transition to the 'Everyday Internet' by selling their products and distributing their content on whiche
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