A presentation as part of my British Academy of Digital Marketing Diploma exploring how consumers use technology and the impact this has had on their lives.
2. Introduction
1969
Internet begins as an
experiment
1971
First email
1991
First webpage
1995 Amazon
launch
1997
Google
2004
Facebook
launch
2005
First video on
YouTube
The internet was born as an experiment in 1969.
Since then it has evolved into a worldwide network connecting people across the globe. The internet has had a
huge impact on the world we live in today, from how we socialise to how we consume media.
“Consumers connect to the internet for the satisfaction of 4 needs” (Sethupathi, 2014):
• exploration
• interpersonal connection
• self-expression
• convenience
3. Access to the internet
Changes to the share of the global population using the internet from 2010 to 2017
4. Access to the internet
Changes to global access to broadband internet
Places such as South America and parts of the Middle East have seen substantial improvements in broadband connectivity. The
faster and cheaper internet access becomes, the more people will utilise it.
(GSMA, 2019)
5. Digital devices used by audiences
4.40%
12.30% 14.40%
21.40% 23.30%
34.30%
64.40%
96.60%
Virtual Reality
Device
Smart Home
Device
TV Streaming
Stick or
Device
Games
Console
Smartwatch
or Wristband
Tablet Device Laptop or
Desktop
Computer
Smart Phone
Digital Device Ownership of Global Internet Users Aged 16-64 in 2020
• The average UK
household owns 9.1
connected devices
(Statista, 2021).
• The most popular device
used to access the
internet globally is the
smart phone (Hootsuite
2021).
(Hootsuite, 2021)
6. How customers search for information
91.40%
2.70%
1.50%
1.50%
1.40%
0.60%
0.60%
0.50%
Google
Bing
Yandex
Yahoo!
Baidu
DuckDuckGo
Other
Sogou
Search Engine Global Market Share Dec 2020
53.10%
44.80%
39.30%
36.40%
30.50%
28.70%
21.80%
21.20%
21.10%
20.90%
Search Engines
Social Networks
Consumer Reviews
Product And Brand Websites
Price Comparison Websites
Mobile Apps
Video Sites
Product And Brand Blogs
Q&A Services
Discount Voucher Websites
% of Internet Users Aged 16-64 Who Use Each Channel As
A Primary Source When Researching Brands
Consumers typically research 2.1 to 3 brands when they want to purchase something online (KPMG,
2017).
(Hootsuite, 2021) (Hootsuite, 2021)
7. What consumers buy online
90.40%
81.50%
76.80%
69.40%
55.40%
Visited An Online Retail Site (Any
Device)
Searched Online For Product Or
Service To Buy (Any Device)
Purchased A Product Online (Any
Device)
Used A shopping App On Mobile
Phone Or Tablet
Purchased A Product Online Via
A Mobile Phone
% Of Internet Users Aged 16-64 Performing Each
Ecommerce Activity In The Past Month 2020
665.6
593.6
525.6
501.8
413.8
330.9
135.8
21.73
0 200 400 600 800
Fashion & Beauty
Travel, Mobility & Accommodation
Toys, DIY & Hobbies
Electronics & Physical Media
Food & Personal Care
Furniture & Appliances
Video Games
Digital Music
USD Billions
Global Total Amount Spent In Consumer Ecommerce
Categories in 2020
ONS figures from 2016 estimated that 77% of UK adults bought goods or services online, up from 53%
in 2008 (ONS, 2020).
(Hootsuite, 2021) (Hootsuite, 2021)
8. Online video
consumption
29.50%
31.70%
36.50%
39.00%
41.10% 42.20%
Q3 2015 Q3 2016 Q3 2017 Q3 2018 Q3 2019 Q3 2020
Daily Time Global Internet Users Aged Between 16-
64 Spend Watching TV Content Via Streaming
Services, As A Share of the Total Time They Spend
Watching TV
“The average US consumer now pays for 4
different streaming video subscriptions”
(Fatemi. F, 2021).
(Hootsuite, 2021)
9.
10. Consumer trends
2.31
2.79
3.2
3.46
3.71
4.2
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Number of Global Social Media Users By Year (In
Billions)
47%
51%
61%
71%
76%
82%
Q4 2015 Q4 2016 Q4 2017 Q4 2018 Q4 2019 Q4 2020
3G, 4G, and 5G Connections as a Share of Total
Mobile Connections Globally
Social media use has almost doubled from 2016 to 2021, with 4.2 billion social media users globally
at the moment (Hootsuite, 2021). With the increase in speed and reliability of mobile internet more
consumers are using their mobile devices to access the web.
(Hootsuite, 2021) (Hootsuite, 2021)
11. Summary
Younger audiences are using
social media to research brands.
People can now access far more
video content than ever before,
allowing them to discover new
interests or learn new things
that would not have been
possible without the internet.
Internet access and speeds are
increasing globally year on year.
Consumers are increasingly
using mobile devices to shop
online meaning they no longer
have to travel to physical stores.
This gives them more time for
other things and more choice of
products and services.
Constant connectivity allows
digital consumers to be more
empowered as they are more
informed and connected.
The internet has made
consumers lives easier with
more choice, information, and
entertainment available than
ever before.
12. Reference List
Assets.kpmg. 2017. The Truth About Online Consumers. [online] Available at: <https://assets.kpmg/content/dam/kpmg/xx/pdf/2017/01/the-truth-about-
online-consumers.pdf> [Accessed 23 February 2021].
Fatemi, F., 2021. How The Pandemic Has Changed Video Content And Consumption. [online] Forbes. Available at:
<https://www.forbes.com/sites/falonfatemi/2021/02/01/how-the-pandemic-has-changed-video-content-and-consumption/?sh=32421d1e6ec0>
[Accessed 23 February 2021].
GSMA. 2019. IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF CHANGES IN WORLD INTERNET PERFORMANCE USING THE SPEEDTEST GLOBAL INDEX - Membership. [online]
Available at: <https://www.gsma.com/membership/resources/in-depth-analysis-of-changes-in-world-internet-performance-using-the-speedtest-global-
index/> [Accessed 23 February 2021].
Hootsuite. 2021. Global Digital Overview — DataReportal – Global Digital Insights. [online] Available at: <https://datareportal.com/global-digital-
overview> [Accessed 23 February 2021].
Millennialstudios.co.uk. 2020. Online Video Consumption Statistics. [online] Available at: <https://millennialstudios.co.uk/blog/online-video-consumption-
statistics/> [Accessed 24 February 2021].
Ons.gov.uk. 2020. Internet access – households and individuals, Great Britain - Office for National Statistics. [online] Available at:
<https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/householdcharacteristics/homeinternetandsocialmediausage/bulletins/internetaccesshousehol
dsandindividuals/2020> [Accessed 23 February 2021].
Paymentscardsandmobile.com. 2018. World Payments Report 2018. [online] Available at: <https://www.paymentscardsandmobile.com/wp-
content/uploads/2018/10/World-Payments-Report-2018.pdf> [Accessed 24 February 2021].
13. Reference List
Roser, M., Ritchie, H. and Ortiz-Ospina, E., 2015. Internet. [online] Our World in Data. Available at:
<https://ourworldindata.org/internet#:~:text=Globally%20the%20number%20of%20internet,online%20for%20the%20first%20time> [Accessed 23
February 2021].
Sethupathi, R. B.-S. H. W. M. V. N., 2014. A.T. Kearney Global Research on Connected Consumers Looks at What Motivates Online Behaviors. [online]
Prnewswire.com. Available at: <https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/at-kearney-global-research-on-connected-consumers-looks-at-what-
motivates-online-behaviors-282413441.html> [Accessed 24 February 2021].
Statista. 2020. Average number of connected devices in UK households 2020 | Statista. [online] Available at:
<https://www.statista.com/statistics/1107269/average-number-connected-devices-uk-house/> [Accessed 24 February 2021].
