Posts tagged Research Watch
RESEARCH WATCH: 2m more Brits online
Jun 30th
There are 1.9 million more people using the internet than there were last year. But the real surprise is the demographics…
People over 50 years old are responsible for the majority of the increase in the numbers of Britons using the internet over the last year, says a new study from UKOM (The UK Online Measurement Company powered by Nielsen).
The size of the UK internet audience grew by 5% from 36.9 million people in May 2009 to 38.8 million people in May 2010. Of these 1.9 million new Britons using the Internet, 1.0 million (53%) were at least 50 years old.
Men over 50 were responsible for most of this growth, accounting for 722,000 (38%) new British internet users followed by women over 50 who accounted for 284,000 (15%) new users.
Following the 50+ age group, women aged 21-34 accounted for 272,000 (14%) new British internet users and ‘tweenage’ girls aged 12-20 who accounted for 231,000 (12%).
Alex Burmaster, from Nielsen, said, “The internet is getting older in more ways than one. Not only is the medium itself maturing but the audience is shifting towards older age groups. This growth is a reminder, if one was still needed, that it is very much a form of media utilised by all age groups.
“The fact that one in four Britons who use the Internet today are 50 to 64 years old proves it is no longer the sole preserve of the young and technical literati.”
The types of websites where people over 50 years old are most likely to be found are a varied mix of health, video, community, travel, fashion, genealogy, cooking and greeting cards.
People aged 50 or over account for 31% of people online (see Chart 1). Health website RealAge has the highest concentration of people this age amongst its visitors – 89 percent are aged 50 or over. RealAge is followed by video site Flixxy (80%) and community site Saga – of which 78% of the audience is at least 50 years old (see chart 2).
Burmaster added, “This age group have a wide appetite when it comes to the types of sites they are using to supplement the interests and needs they have in the daily lives. Consequently, a number of brands across a range of industries, particularly travel, are showing the rest what a valuable medium online is when it comes to reaching a desired audience who haven’t grown up with the Internet.”
RESEARCH WATCH: Who wins the social media crown?
Jun 15th
A recent survey of brands on social media has revealed that Seatle-based coffee chain Starbucks is the most popular consumer brand on the social web.
Based on analysis that indexes consumer brands against the most popular personal brand on the planet, the research placed Starbucks as number one among consumer brands by having 7.4 million Facebook fans, 901,925 Twitter followers and 6,509 YouTube subscribers.
American brands dominated the top 10, with Red Bull the only non-US brand to make the top 10.
UK-based Famecount took a snapshot at the beginning of June of brands’ followers on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to come up with its ranking, a quantitative snapshot with no qualitative look at how brands engage with their fans, followers and subscribers across the social web.
Top 10 Consumer Brands on Social Media
Ranked by Famecount Index Across Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
Top 10 Media, Sport and Game Brands on Social Media
Ranked by Famecount Index Across Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
RESEARCH WATCH: Why every marketer should have a Real-time Messaging strategy
Jun 7th
This whitepaper from Epsilon explains that marketers should strive to send a million messages to a million customers, instead of one message to a million customers.
In an age when consumers are able to interact in many channels and receive relevant information twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, marketers must capitalise on each and every interaction; real-time messaging is the tool to do just that and more. As a customer engagement vehicle, real-time messages deliver immediate one-to-one communications that are targeted, relevant and timely.
Epsilon research shows that consumers around the globe are savvy email users and expect email marketing messages to be based on their past purchase behaviour as well as stated preferences. Taking this concept one step further, these targeted messages should arrive in an inbox at the exact moment when a consumer is already engaged with that brand. A scheduled batch-and-blast approach does not generate the return on marketing investment that a Real-time Messaging (RTM) campaign can produce for today’s email marketer.
Real-time messages are a mix of transactional, operational and triggered messages that are considered to be time-sensitive or event driven such as alerts, reminders, purchase confirmations and notices. These messages establish a timely and relevant dialogue with customers based on their actions.
The most effective real-time messages include carefully tailored marketing content that not only benefits the marketer, but also provides value to the customer.
Consumers are accustomed to transactional communications from marketers, just seconds after a transaction or interaction. But the true test of a real-time message is the immediate impact and perceived relevance by the recipient. When a consumer shows interest in a specific product or brand, effective marketers need the tools and resources for an immediate follow-up message. Read the rest of this entry »
RESEARCH WATCH: Top UK retailers failing to integrate email with social media
May 17th
UK retailers are continuing to ignore key email marketing techniques that can increase online traffic and sales, and failing to use email to exploit the opportunities offered by the growing popularity of social media marketing, according to dotMailer’s annual email marketing benchmark study ‘Hitting the Mark’.
The benchmark study, assessed emails sent from 36 UK retailers in April 2010. Each email was evaluated against 16 criteria based on dotMailer’s Hitting the Mark scoring matrix, with each retailer awarded a total score out of 100. Two new categories – social media and mobile – were added to the study in 2010, reflecting the changing nature of recipient behaviour.
After two years in top position, Marks & Spencer has been knocked off the top spot by HMV and Republic – an impressive jump of 14 places for Republic, with joint high scores of 72. New Look and Figleaves came in joint second – a top scoring new entry for New Look. At the other end of the score board, both the Early Learning Centre and Harrods experienced significant drops.
Disappointingly, 73% of the 30 retailers that featured in last year’s study achieved lower scores this time round; and only 33% of all retailers studied in 2010 scored 70 or above. The average score of 67 for 2010 was the same as 2009, and down four points on 2008’s average of 71. Read the rest of this entry »
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