UK Internet Adoption Continues In Strength
Internet access in the UK is continuing to increase, with Continental Research’s Internet Report Autumn 2005 showing the medium to be in good health.
Despite this strong growth, Continental claims that access to the internet on a white-collar bias is still very apparent, with 68% of users white collar, demonstrating the class divide of internet and non internet connected homes.
The healthy uptake of online in the home leaves advertisers with an attractive market, with the research revealing that almost two thirds of users are in the affluent under 44 category and very active in their online behaviour.
Male bias on the internet continues to be evident, with one in two males in the UK currently using the internet from home, compared to just over four out of ten women.
Total internet access via the computer is currently 53%, with 58% of the population having access from home and 41% from work or college, resulting in 25.3 million in the UK regularly using the internet.
Broadband
Continental predicts that in the next 6 to 12 months the number of broadband homes in the UK will reach 9.3 million, with the high speed market opening up services such as film and TV downloads to the mass market.
Online shopping has benefited from the uptake of broadband, with nearly seven out of ten internet users now buying on the internet, with those in the 35 to 44 year age group the most prolific shoppers.
This growing avenue has increased the role of advertising online, with the internet playing a crucial role in stimulating purchasing and building customer loyalty.
Over the last two years online adspend has increased significantly and campaigns have become more sophisticated in their attempts to reach this lucrative market. Improvements to the speed of the internet has aided advertising campaigns, allowing rich media advertising to be delivered to more online users.
Younger people aged 16 to 24 years were found to be considerably more aware of online advertising, compared to those online purchasers aged 55+. For older shoppers, search engines were found to play a more important role, the respective figures for the young and old were 9% for 16 to 24 year olds and 11% for 55+s.
This increasing awareness in online advertising has resulted in marketers shifting their adspend onto online, with 60% planning to raise their online advertising expenditure in 2006 (see Marketers Move Adspend Online). According to online magazine, Direct, marketers are allotting 41% of marketing budgets to online channels this year, taking money away from traditional direct marketing channels. The survey found that marketers allocated 75% for the old channels last year, compared to just 59% this year.