HOW CONSUMERS USE TECHNOLOGY
Assignment 2: Task 1

INTRODUCTION
From first use to today accessing the internet has
changed drastically, meaning the way we use it has
changed too.
The modern word lives in the age of The Internet of
Things - a “global environment where everything
and everyone is digitally connected to everything
and everyone else.” (Kotler, 2017) Meaning that
the way consumers shop and the things they
prioritise have more of an impact than ever.

A BRIEF HISTORY
➤ 1960s - Government researchers access ‘the
internet’ as a way to share information
➤ 1991 - the first public website was born
➤ 1997 - the introduction of Wifi allowed internet
access via portable devices
➤ 2001 - 3G internet was introduced allowing
higher mobile browsing speeds
➤ 2006 - 4G internet offers further faster speeds of
access via mobile
➤ 2007 - the iPhone launches - marking a new
development in smartphones
➤ 2008 - the App Store launches - paving the way
for a whole new way of brands to reach their
consumer audience
➤ 2014 - the number of internet users worldwide
reaches 3 billion, Amazon launches Alexa
➤ 2016 - Google unveils Google Assistant
➤ 2020 - 5G technology offers even faster internet
speeds

ACCESS TO
THE
INTERNET
Across the years

ACCESSING THE INTERNET
The current global digital population, or the number of people who use
the internet, is 4.54 billion according to the latest stats from
WeAreSocial. This is an increase of 131% since 2010 and 1157% since
2000 (Internet World Stats).
Data captured from We Are Social and Hootsuite for the Global Digital Trends Report 2020

DIGITAL
DEVICES
USED BY
AUDIENCES
How people are accessing the
internet

DIFFERENT DEVICES USED BY THE GLOBAL INTERNET POPULATION
Mobile has the highest share of
internet traffic, with 53%.
Laptops and desktops are close with
44% of the traffic
Tablets account for just 2.7% of
internet traffic and games consoles
and other devices are less than 1%
The Internet of Things is causing more
and more types of devices to access the
internet, though mobile phones and
computers dominate, the other 0.07% of
devices include anything from home
assistants, smart watches and even cars.

HOW
CONSUMERS
SEARCH
Finding information in
2020

ONLINE SEARCHES
Searches by device in February 2020
Mobile = 51.69%
Desktop = 45.61%
Tablet = 2.65%
(source: Statcounter.com)
Searches by device in 2012:
Mobile = 10.11%
Desktop = 89.89%
Tablet = 0%

Navigational queries: finding the
website of a specific company or service.
Informational search queries: looking
for the answer to a question
Transactional search queries: looking to
complete a transaction, for example to
purchase a product or service
There are three types of search queries on
search engines: Research would suggest that searches
are mostly navigational or
informational. 66% of e-commerce
browsing time comes from mobile,
however, less than 30% of sales come
from mobile devices.
88% of consumers will visit or call a
location within the 24 hours following a
mobile search
Mobile search is being used for:
2020 is seeing a rise in the number of
searches done via ‘voice’ either on mobile or
smart assistant. The Global Web Index
report shows that 43% of people have
conducted a voice search. A survey by
Microsoft and Bing also concluded that 72%
of these carried out a voice search by digital
assistant on phones and 35% by smart home
speaker

SEARCH ENGINES ARE NOT THE ONLY FORM OF SEARCH
16% of people surveyed by episerver.com in their latest Reimagining
Commerce 2020 Report have made a purchase directly from an influencers
product post.
This figure rises to 50% and 48% when looking at the Gen Z and
Millennials audience.
31% of people have made a purchase directly from a social media advert.
In addition to the traditional search engine, social media is becoming a location
for consumers to locate things they want and need.

WHAT
CONSUMERS
ARE BUYING
ONLINE
Different products and services
purchased on the internet

WHAT ARE PEOPLE BUYING?
Men Vs Women: Who
Runs the Online
Shopping World? - Belvg
According to Belvg consumers buy different things based on gender. However the clear sector which
benefits the most from both genders’ online sales habits is the clothing/sporting goods sector.
This is reflected in the latest Delivery Matters Report from The Royal Mail.
Books/magazines/e-learning material is also popular with Royal Mail claiming this accounts for
27% of all items bought online in the UK.
Delivery Matters UK:
What’s In the Basket? -
Royal Mail

ONLINE VIDEO
CONSUMPTION
Just how much video content
is being watched in 2020

VIDEO CONTENT STATISTICS
The average user spends 88% more time on a website with video
Zenith found that the time spent viewing video online rose by 32% on average between 2013 and
2018.
The ‘State of Online Video 2019 report by Limelight found that the average viewer spends 6
hours, 48 minutes watching various types of video content online. A 59% increase since 2016.
This content includes movie and TV show streaming, sports and social media/website content.
YouTube accounted for 37% of all mobile internet traffic in February 2019
46% of consumers watch more
video ads on social media than
they do on TV
Consumers are mostly
watching how to videos,
videos about sales and promos
and ‘top 5 list’ videos

CONSUMER
TRENDS
And what we can learn from
them

FACTORS CONSUMERS CARE ABOUT
Responsible consumerism - eco-friendly, low plastic options and local to home options.(Genchur,
2020)
Convergence of online and offline shopping experiences - Phygital retail such as the use of AI and
click and collect/BOPIS options. (Genchur, 2020)
The rise of influencers - Social media share of voice (Episerver, 2020)
Integrated digital assistants - increased use of wearable technology, in-car technology and in
home integration technology
A sense of shame
Ease of use, being able to try on clothes without the clothes being there, cheaper and easier for
click and collect or BOPIS
A ‘keeping up with the Jones’ type mentality.
Time efficient ways of living in a busy digital era
WHY THIS MATTERS TO THE CONSUMER

SUMMARY
These days consumers have everything at the click of a button, and it is sharable to such an extent
that it spreads quickly. With the rise in the number of people using the internet, as shown in my
early slides, comes a rise of visibility online. Consumers find out about things by word of mouth
but online that comes in image, or often video form - which often has a bigger impact.
The integration of technology into our every day lives through goods such as digital assistants
and smart home options allow for peace of mind. Consumers can access information everywhere
and anywhere - whether they want to or not.
Adapting to these trends will allow for businesses to remain at the forefront of their target
audience’s minds. Especially in a such a mobile first world.

REFERENCES
➤ Armstrong, M. (2019) “Youtube is Responsible for 37% of All Mobile Internet Traffic” [online] Available at https://www.statista.com/chart/17321/global-downstream-mobile-
traffic-by-app/ [accessed 31st March 2020].
➤ D. Mary (2019) “Men Vs Women. Who Runs the Online Shopping World?” [online] Available at https://belvg.com/blog/men-vs-women-who-runs-the-online-shopping-
world.html [accessed 31st March 2020].
➤ Episerver (2020) “Reimagining Commerce 2020” [online] Available at https://www.episerver.com/globalassets/03.-global-documents/reports/reimagining-commerce-2020-
episerver.pdf [accessed 31st March 2020]
➤ Genchur, N (2020) “Six Consumer Trends to Watch in 2020” [online] Available at https://www.groundtruth.com/insight/consumer-trends-to-watch/ [accessed 31st March
2020].
➤ Internet World Stats (2020) “Internet Growth Statistics” [online] Available at https://www.internetworldstats.com/emarketing.htm [accessed 31st March 2020].
➤ Kavanagh, D. (2019) “Cracking the Voice Interface” [online] Available at https://blog.globalwebindex.com/chart-of-the-week/cracking-the-voice-interface/ [accessed 31st
March 2020].
➤ Kemp, S. (2020) “Digital 2020: Global Digital Overview” Datareportal [online]. Available at: https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2020-global-digital-overview [accessed
31st March 2020].
➤ Kotler P. and Armstrong G. (2017) Principles of Marketing 17th Edition, Pearson Education. United Kingdom.
➤ Limelight (2019) “Market Research: The State of Online Video in 2019” [online] Available at https://www.limelight.com/resources/white-paper/state-of-online-video-2019/
[accessed 31st March 2020].
➤ McCue, TJ. (2018) “Video Marketing in 2018 continues to Explode as a Way To Reach Customers” [Online] Available at https://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2018/06/22/
video-marketing-2018-trends-continues-to-explode-as-the-way-to-reach-customers/ [accessed 31st March 2020].
➤ O’Neill, M. (2018) “2018 State of Social Video: Consumer Trends” [online] Available at https://animoto.com/blog/business/2018-social-video-consumer-trends [accessed
31st March 2020].
➤ Royal Mail (2019) “Delivery Matters UK” [online] Available at https://www.royalmail.com/sites/royalmail.com/files/2019-09/delivery-matters-uk--2019.pdf [accessed 31st
March 2020]
➤ Stat Counter (2020) “Desktop vs Mobile vs Tablet Mobile Share Worldwide” [online] Available at https://www.internetworldstats.com/emarketing.htm [accessed 1st March
2020].
➤ Zenith (2019) “Online Video Viewing to reach 100 minutes a day in 2021” [online] Available at https://www.zenithmedia.com/online-video-viewing-to-reach-100-minutes-
a-day-in-2021/ [accessed 31st March 2020].

IMAGE SOURCES
➤ https://pixabay.com/photos/office-business-accountant-620822/
➤ https://home.cern/resources/image/computing/world-wide-web-images-gallery
➤ https://pixabay.com/photos/wlan-wifi-network-modem-online-1494537/
➤ https://pixabay.com/photos/smart-watch-apple-technology-style-821559/
➤ https://pixabay.com/illustrations/telephone-social-mobile-www-call-3840285/
➤ https://www.hyundai.news/uk/model-news/hyundai-releases-interior-image-of-the-all-new-i20/
➤ https://pixabay.com/illustrations/voice-search-software-application-4071801/
➤ https://unsplash.com/photos/Q59HmzK38eQ
➤ https://unsplash.com/photos/QK1OhZmopBo