According to a new study from PayPal, the “Digital Goods Economy Survey”, which looks at the attitudes, habits and behaviors of the digital media consumer across digital and video
gaming, and eBook industries, only 25% of Americans surveyed indicated that they wanted to only own books digitally, while 41% stated that they “prefer a mix of both hard copies and eBooks.
More than 15% of U.S. males surveyed reported spending $30-$49, and 10% stated that they spent $50-$69, over the past three months on sites such as YouTube and Twitch. In addition, says the report,
83% of Americans surveyed stated that they had played mobile games in their bedrooms in the last three months, with 72% reporting playing video games on their PC/Mac or Laptop.
A large segment of respondents indicated that they play games in the office ranging from mobile games (30%), PC/Laptop games (13%), and console games (10%).
Melissa
O’Malley, Director, Global Initiatives at PayPal, says “… the research insights help merchants better understand how consumers are spending their time and money with digital
goods… to cater to this growing audience… “
Key findings from the U.S. research include:
- 78% of U.S. respondents use smartphones when
asked which devices they used to play digital games, versus 59% using a tablet, and 47% a laptop. According to SuperData Research, the 2016E mobile games market will be worth $37.6 billion, accounting
for 49% of the total 2016E $77.3 billion worldwide games market.
- 60% of U.S. respondents read eBooks on their tablets, while 66% purchase eBooks because they are cheaper than buying a hard
copy and can read it right away, says the report. 42% say that they buy/download an eBook immediately after becoming interested in it for the first time; impulse eBook buyers to whom merchants can
cater.
- 40% of respondents play their console video games one to two hours for each session, with 34% playing for two to four hours. This was greater than the time spent on PC/Mac or laptop
games, mobile video games and eBooks, says the report. The 30-minute to one-hour range was the highest for both eBooks (38%) and mobile games (31%).
The report concludes by suggesting
that console gaming session length highlights an opportunity for relevant in-game ads/branded content, as the audience is making a longer time commitment per session and thus third-party content is
less disruptive. Additionally, for mobile games and eBooks, creating shorter marketing content to fill the desired time window will resonate with consumers looking to spend less time consuming
content, says the report.
To view the full U.S. results from the
research survey, please visit here.