Digital research roundup- August 27th

£100 netbooks take over from laptops as a 'back to uni' essential 

Netbooks have taken over from laptops as the university essential, according to customer review and price comparison site Reevoo.com. Back in early 2008 netbooks represented less than 5 per cent of the market, but have now grown to as much as 22 per cent. This dramatic change has been driven by a new breed of ‘laptop’ buyers who were previously priced out of the market, including students who might not have been able to afford their own computer in previous years.  

However, reviewers frequently complain netbooks do not come with Microsoft Office as standard “which, being a student, is essential” or “other software necessary for students”. Samsung’s NC10, is a massive hit with shoppers, selling 4 times more than the top-selling Sony and 10 times more than the top-selling Apple.

source: www.Reevoo.com

Most Brits open to location based mobile ads  

New research shows that while 60 per cent of Brits individuals have a negative view of text advertising, over 74 per cent were positive about receiving special offers to their mobile phone if the offer was linked to their location at that time. 84 per cent stated that ‘location-based services are cool’ demonstrating the opportunity for marketers to reach recipients via web-based, location-centric marketing methods.  

Almost a third of respondents (31 per cent) confirmed they would feel ‘completely lost’ and ‘isolated’ if they mislaid their mobile phone, with a further 25 per cent stating it would have a major impact on their social life and would make them feel out of touch or cut off from friends and family. The survey, which was undertaken by iome, found that only 12 per cent of people would actually find losing their mobile a positive experience, claiming they would ‘feel free’, be ‘less distracted’ and ‘lead a richer life’.  

Over two thirds of respondents are now frequently using their mobile devices to access the web, and of those 81% favouring to obtain directions or maps, and seven out of ten use it to access social media sites to connect with friends and family, such as Facebook, Twitter or MySpace.

www.io-me.com

Price comparison sites ‘must focus on trust, loyalty and user experience’ 

Building trust, collaborative functionality and giving greater control to users may be key to the future growth of price comparison websites, according to a new report.  The Future Comparisons Report from user experience consultancy, Webcredible predicts that despite currently being squeezed during the recession, the long-term future of the price comparison market is good, so long as websites continue to focus more on the needs of their users to help improve brand loyalty, trust and user experience. 

In the first four months of 2009, visitor numbers to some of the largest price comparison websites fell by 30 per cent.  Now with some insurers publicly distancing themselves from price comparison sites and other third party sites such as the Daily Mail offering these services, the report predicts that the price comparison industry will need to develop its approach if it is to continue to grow. The report looks at the key deliverables of five of the market leading price comparison sites, focusing on the results page, site functionality, overall trust and brand recognition.  It urges price comparison sites to really focus on the requirements of their users to ensure that they can capitalise on the current 'price conscious' environment. 

A full copy of the report can be downloaded from http://www.webcredible.co.uk/price-comparison.

Employers crack down on social networking use 

Employers are gradually tightening the reins on which websites their staff can view and are increasingly choosing to block access to popular social networking sites. A study, from ScanSafe, analysed more than a billion Web requests processed by the company each month confirms a 20% increase in the number of customers blocking social networking sites in the last six months. Currently, 76% of companies are choosing to block social networking and it is now a more popular category to block than online shopping (52%), weapons (75%), alcohol (64%), sports (51%) and Webmail (58%). Surprisingly, employers don’t take the same stern approach to online banking and less than half (47%) of our customers block this category.

ScanSafe specifically found an increase in the number of customers choosing to block the below categories in the last 6 months.

Hilton tops website experience survey  

Hilton.com has come top of a survey of hotel websites for the second consecutive year.  The research, from Global Reviews, measured the experience of users on six leading hotel websites. Hotel selection and the booking process are the two categories that are most important to customers, and in these areas, Hotels.com came top, closely followed by Express by Holiday Inn.  

Source: www.globalreviews.co.uk

Brands ignoring social media in favour of traditional digital channels

Marketers are failing to embrace social media, with only three per cent looking into channels such as blogging and microblogging via tools like Twitter. Research from Emailvision, surveyed 150 companies at the recent Online Marketing Show. Survey findings reveal that businesses favour traditional marketing channels. Almost half of respondents cited SEO and email as being among their leading tools. Yet in spite of the high level of companies employing these channels, the lack of uptake of newer social media tools indicates that many organisations are failing to use this method to supplement their more traditional approach.

Source: www.emailvision.co.uk