The impact of technology on consumers lives

A brief introduction to the internet

Ø    It passed some decades already since the history of the internet began. Considering that only half of the world’s population was online in 2017, this might be only the beginning. Now the internet has become the main source of information for billions of people at home, at school, or at work.

Ø    The internet is continuously changing. The social web and the mobile technology marked its recent evolution. These two innovations have changed the way people use the internet today. (Internet World Stats, n.d.). Now people use the internet for so many purposes, and many of them wouldn’t imagine a world without internet.

Ø    Initially the Internet served to interconnect laboratories engaged in government research. ARPAnet was the first version of the internet in 1969, and it was intended to link computers at UCLA and Stanford. After World Wide Web was invented in 1989, the first web browser available to the public was launched in ‘93 (BroadbandSearch, n.d.). Since 1994 the internet has been expanded to serve millions of users and a multitude of purposes all over the world (InternetWorld Stats, n.d.).

Access to internet

Ø    At the end of 2020, there were almost 4.66 billion active internet users, which means 59.5 percent of the global population. 91% of all these users are mobile internet users, which proves that mobile became the first channel for internet access. (Statista, 2021).

Digital devices used by audiences

Ø    Not too long ago, desktop and stationary hardware ruled the world of internet. But with the latest evolution, the focus now shifted towards mobile. Some of the most common mobile devices include smartphones, tablets, laptop, smartwatches, digital cameras, or gaming consoles.

Ø    Today the majority of traffic internet comes from mobile sources, especially from smartphones. Statistics indicate that almost 60% of all internet traffic is attributed to mobile devices. (Telemedia, 2020).

How customers search for information

Ø    Today we have access to so much information available on billions of websites. The search engines are the tools to help us find exactly what we need. Search engines like Google, Yahoo, or Bing, allow users worldwide to enter keywords and sift through all the existing websites to find the information they search for. (Anmar Frangoul, 2018).

Ø     The evolution of mobile phones, voice assistants, video search engines, or the dynamic of search intent, have changed the ways in which people use search engines. (backlinko, n.d.).

Ø    The search intent is redefining the marketing funnel. People search for immediate answers on their devices, and every time they do it, it is a different way. There are four main types of search intent: Informational (Users searching information about a certain topic, but not intended to buy anything), Navigational (Users intending to visit a certain website), Transactional (Users are searching for information having the purpose to buy something), and Commercial (Users being close to make a purchase, or deciding between a few options) (backlinko, n.d.).

What consumers buy online

Ø    The latest statistics rank fashion as the most popular category of all internet purchases. For 2021, this category is expected to reach $759.5 billion of the total eCommerce expenditure online. The next category is Toys, Hobby, and DIY, followed by electronics and media products. (Oberlo, n.d.).

Ø    The current pandemic situation had a huge effect on the retail sector with many stores forced to close. If we take the example of the UK and compare the proportions of sales during one year of pandemic, we notice that the proportion of total sales in online has grown by over 10%. (Rhys Dalgleish, 2020).

Video consumption

Ø    In the past few years there have been fantastic changes in online video consumption of all types. We can see that from our daily life, but the statistics are making it clear.  Interesting to be mentioned would be that: YouTube has over a billion users, almost one-third of total internet users, More than 500 million hours of videos are watched on YouTube each day, 87% of online marketers use video content, Over 500 million people are watching video on Facebook every day (Mary Lister, 2020).

Ø    A recent statistic from Statista shows that 27% of online viewers spent more than 10 hours watching videos. (Statista, 2021).

Ø     To understand what users are watching online in 1 day and why they do it, Google conducted a survey and the results showed that people’s viewing habits are changing. For example, 70% of respondents said that their content choices are influenced by their mood. Another aspect to mention is that people are placing more value on content that relates to their personal passions (Google, n.d.).

Summary

Ø    Internet had quickly evolved, and for sure in the next years there will be further development

Ø    The rise of smartphones has completely changed the world, with a huge impact on mobile internet usage

Ø    The search engines have totally changed the way people search for information, and with the rise of smartphones, mobile search will continue to take over.

Ø    As internet access is quickly increasing worldwide, the number of digital buyers is continuously rising. In 2019, an estimated 1.92 billion people purchased goods or services online. (Statista, 2021).

Ø    The mobile evolution also changed the way users are watching videos. Nowadays video content is being watched more than ever before.

 

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