• by Mike Bloxham , Op-Ed Contributor, August 2, 2012

 The 2012 Olympics has become a field day for the tablet as second-screening becomes a focus of much attention.  But what do we know about tablet users?  This USA TouchPoints analysis reveals how tablet users’ online behavior -– on any platform -- varies from that of the adult population at large.

Whether tablet owners spend much time glued to the Olympics or other programming, they are clearly active online and show a higher propensity for a number of key behaviors than the general adult population.

Reading -- whether the tablet will ultimately deliver the monetary shot in the arm for the publishing sector that many believe it will, the incidence of reading both newspapers and magazines online is significantly higher than the average adult.

Travel -- a key business sector on the Web, tablet users also seem to be a fertile hunting ground for the travel sector, with users two times more likely to research and book travel online than the average adult. This may be related to the tablet’s suitability as a medium for use while traveling, and it’s popularity among business people.

Automotive -- similarly, tablet users offer even better online prospects for those in the automotive sector.

E-Commerce -- despite the prevalence of a wide range of e-commerce activity, tablet users are a staggering 88% more likely to use e-commerce sites than the average American adult.

While some of these characteristics may be a reflection of the broader socioeconomic profiles of the first generation of tablet users and differences from the population at large may diminish over time, there is clear evidence that for the present, tablet users represent a rich seam for various sectors.