IPA TouchPoints5: Rise of the connected consumer
Emerging screen-based technologies, such as smartphones and tablets, are changing the way the UK population communicates, shops and consumes news and media, according to the latest IPA TouchPoints5 data, published today.
The data reveals that a growing proportion of our communication time is now conducted online, with 12% spent social networking (up from 5% in 2012) and 12% spent emailing (up from 6% in 2012).
In addition, the percentage of adults that now use the internet each week has increased from 80% in 2012 to 86%, while the time they spend surfing the web has risen from one hour and 56 minutes a day in 2012 to two hours 27 minutes in 2014.
Coupled with these increases, the new data reveals that almost half of consumers (48%) now own a smartphone, while over a quarter (27%) own a tablet and 38% either own one or have the use of one within their homes.
The research, which was first launched in 2006, also shows how long consumers are using their smartphones and tablets for and the various ways in which they are using these platforms in comparison to more traditional ones, as well as the extent to which these new trends are being spearheaded by the 15-24 age group.
“Our lives are changing at an unprecedented rate, and as the new TouchPoints5 data clearly shows us, emerging technologies are revolutionising how we communicate, how we entertain ourselves, and how we spend our time and money,” said Lynne Robinson, research director, IPA.
“These changes are been spearheaded by the younger age groups whose mobile devices are the dominant force in their lives.”
Being connected
– In terms of the total time people spend on the internet each week, 54% is now via a laptop or desktop, 31% via a smartphone, 11% via a tablet, 2% through a smart TV and 1% through a games console.
– 29% of adults are using a tablet each week for a daily average of 52 minutes, compared to 32% of 15-24s for an average of 49 minutes.
– 49% of all adults use a mobile phone for more than just talking and texting, and spend an average of one hour and 30 minutes per day using other functions on a phone. This compares to 78% of all 15-24s using a mobile phone each week, aside from talking and texting, for an average of one hour and 52 minutes per day.
– This is in addition to 74% of all adults who use a desktop or laptop each week for an average one hour and 42 minutes per day, compared to 86% of all 15-24s using a desktop/laptop each week for an average of one hour and 42 minutes.
– Online activities are increasing; emailing is still the dominant activity with over 80% of adults emailing each week, followed by over 70% of adults who say they are using the Internet for browsing products and services.
– 54% of all adults now use a social networking site each week, up from 44% in 2012. On average each user is connected for nine hours and 56 minutes a week, up from six hours and 39 minutes in 2012.
– 39% of all adults use a laptop/desktop to social network, 34% use a smartphone, 15% use a tablet and 2% use a games console.
– 66% of all 15-24 year olds use a laptop/desktop to social network, 67% use a smartphone, 23% use a tablet and 5% use a games console.
– 15-24 year olds are 69% more likely to social network through a laptop/desktop and 97% more likely to social network through a smartphone than an average adult.
– Over the course of a week, 97% of consumers use a traditional TV set to watch TV, 13% use a laptop/desktop, 8% use a TV with an internet connection, 5% use a tablet and 4% use a smartphone.
– This compares to 95% of 15-24 year olds watching TV on a traditional TV set, 27% using a laptop/desktop, 9% using a TV with an internet connection, 8% using a tablet and 8% using a smartphone. 15-24 year olds are more than twice as likely to use a both a laptop/desktop and a smartphone to watch TV compared to the average adult.
– Of the 3% of time spent watching TV via a device other than a traditional television set, 44% use a laptop, 25% a smart TV, 17% a tablet and 6% a smartphone or a games console.
– Over half of all adults (54%) and three quarters of 15-24s (79%) claim to ‘second screen’.
– The percentage of adults accessing video on-demand (VOD) has risen from 46% in 2010 to 59% in 2012 to 67% in 2014. 38% now use a VOD service each week this rises to 56% for 15-24 year olds.
– 14% of all adults watch user-generated online video content this rises to 80% of all 15-24s.
– During the course of the week, 54% of all adults read a newspaper or magazine in print, 8% read on a laptop/desktop, 6% read on a smartphone and 4% read on a tablet.
– Of the 12% of time spent reading online news content, 48% is via a laptop/desktop, 29% on a smartphone, 20% on a tablet and 3% through an e-reader.
– Whilst 33% of 15-24 year olds read a newspaper or magazine in print, 9% read on a laptop/desktop, 9% read on a smartphone and 3% read on a tablet. A lower proportion of 15-24 year olds are reading a newspaper or magazine in print compared to an average adult, however, a higher proportion are reading on a smartphone than an average adult.
– The average adult is 64% more likely to read a newspaper or magazine in print than the average 15-24 year old; however, 15-24 year olds are 50% more likely to read a newspaper on a mobile phone than the average adult.
– During the course of a week, 75% of all adults listen to the radio on an actual radio or TV set, 9% listen on a laptop/desktop, 9% listen on a smartphone and 4% listen on a tablet.
– Of the 6% of time spent listening to the radio via an online platform, 50% is via a desktop or laptop, 29% through a smartphone and 9% through a tablet and 6% through a smart TV set.
– 62% of 15-24 year olds listen to the radio on a radio or TV set, 13% listen on a laptop/desktop, 17% listen on a smartphone and 4% listen on a tablet. A lower proportion of 15-24 year olds listen to a radio via traditional means, however a higher proportion listens via a laptop/desktop or a smartphone.
– Adults are 20% more likely to listen to the radio on a radio or TV set than the average 15-24 year old; however, 15-24 year olds are 89% more likely to listen on a smartphone and 44% more likely to listen on a laptop/desktop than the average adult.
– In 2012, 92% of shopping was done in store, however this has fallen slightly to 90% in 2014. 5% of shopping is now done via a PC, 2% via a smartphone and 2% via a tablet.
– In terms of the types of apps used by device, instant messaging, photo-sharing, mapping, music, personal health, location-based and augmented reality apps are used more on mobiles compared to tablets, whilst television apps, shopping, book readers, film and cinema apps are more heavily used on tablets.
– 2% of adults use their smartphone for looking for local deals, offers and vouchers.
– 30% of all adults (35% of 15-24s) use their smartphones for locating places using GPS.
– 8% of adults and 10% of 15-24s use their smartphones for reading /scanning QR codes.
– 4% of adults and 5% of 15-24s use their smartphone for augmented reality.
– Only 6% of adults claim to have NFC (Near Field Communication) on their phone; 26% do not know whether they have NFC on their phone.
