A new report by Jupiter Media Metrix indicates that America’s dominance of the Internet industry may be slipping. The study, which covers markets in Australia, the US, Germany, France, and the UK, estimates that 245 million households worldwide will be online by 2005. It also predicts that the vast majority of growth, as well as business opportunities, will occur outside the US.
Jupiter Media Metrix cautioned that in underdeveloped countries such as France, marketers will need to measure more than just the number of unique visitors when evaluating online success and market trends. Other factors, such as how intensely an audience uses the Web, should also be taken into account. The report also indicates that users who consume vast quantities of web pages, but focus little on each one, may be less valuable to advertisers than those focusing heavily on fewer pages.
According to Jupiter Media Metrix, the most significant increases in usage intensity have occurred in the content category. Usage intensity has remained stable in transaction-oriented websites, such as travel and retail sites.
