Research round-up: 10th February 2010

iPad and eBook Readers: A Market Comparison

Following the launch of Apple's iPad eReader, digital publisher YUDU has launched a free whitepaper. The report is the first comparison whitepaper to include the Apple iPad.

The whitepaper looks at the main eReaders currently available (or soon to be launched) as well as highlighting the pros and cons of each device. Will the Apple iPad prove to be an evolution or revolution?  For more information on YUDU's position relating to eBook readers, click here.

iPad announcement peaked at 7,000 ‘Tweets per minute’

Apple’s much anticipated iPad launch resulted in a great deal of buzz on Twitter, this resulted in peak activity levels as high as 7,000 Tweets per minute (TPM), according to new research. Electronics retailer Retrevo has applied its data gathering analysis engine to create a Buzzmeter that will quantify activity surrounding new product announcements and events. This is the first demonstration of the Retrevo Buzzmeter. By contrast, typical celebrity topics such as  "Britney Spears " get about 10-20 Tweets per minute on a sustained basis.

Just prior to the event Retrevo somewhat elevated activity, on the Buzzmeter, compared to the much lower  baseline  of the night before the event. As the event gets underway at 10:00 AM and Steve Jobs takes the stage, Retrevo saw a low level buzz that builds toward the formal announcement at 10:10. Activity drops off momentarily followed by the highest level of the event measuring 7,000 TPM which coincides with the hardware description at 10:30 AM.

www.retrevo.com

15bn tickets to be delivered via mobiles by 2014

A new study by Juniper Research has forecast that nearly 15 billion tickets will be delivered to subscribers’ mobile devices worldwide by 2014, compared to just over two billion this year. The new Mobile Ticketing report found that services are developing fastest in the transport sector, with SMS, bar code and, increasingly, app driven services being offered by rail & metro companies and airlines.

But the potential of mobile ticketing does not stop there. Major cinema chains, concert organisers and sports teams are latching on to the commercial viability, which is driven by both cost savings and the up-sell revenue potential – not to mention convenience for the user. There are also new entrants from a variety of angles such as apps start-ups and mobile commerce providers seeking to grasp the opportunities they can see.

Further key findings from the report include:

·          Western Europe will be the leading region in 2014 based on number of mobile tickets delivered, taking over from current leader, Far East & China region

·          Market constraints include business models and coordinating ticketing schemes across multiple operators

Mobile Ticketing report

Buying cars online is starting to click
Shopping for cars online is becoming more popular and it’s a win-win situation, says Which? Car – you’re not only likely to secure a bigger discount, you’ll also have added legal protection. Which? trawled the car market for 14 popular new cars and found 12 of them cheaper online, many of them substantially. Five models were being offered at more than £5,000 below their list price, and six were more than £1,000 cheaper online than in a showroom.

Completing a deal online also makes the sale subject to the Distance Selling Regulations. These give customers a seven-day cooling off period after delivery in which they can reject the car and be entitled to a complete refund.** Online won’t be the best route for everyone, however, and there are potential pitfalls to watch out for.

Which? Car has discovered that, while only a small percentage (5%) of Which? members surveyed bought their last car online, 18% said they are likely to do so in future.  People who aren’t prepared to buy on the internet are still arming themselves with useful information online (69% of Which? readers use the internet to research car purchases). If a web broker offers them a generous discount off list price, they can ask a local franchised dealer to match the price.

http://www.which.co.uk

Brits ‘wasting money on wrong broadband packages’

Although ‘unlimited’ packages are increasingly popular, new research from Broadbandchoices.co.uk has revealed that many consumers are not even scratching the surface of their download limit and could save money by trading down to a capped package at a lower monthly charge.
Broadbandchoices.co.uk recently surveyed over 1,400 broadband users (1) about their download habits. Of those with an unlimited download allowance (2), over half (53%) downloaded 10GB or less per month and nearly three quarters (74%) downloaded 20GB or less. This is exceedingly low compared to the amount of content they have the opportunity to download with their unlimited packages, meaning that they are essentially paying for a service they don’t need.
www.broadbandchoices.co.uk

Brits leaving online flight booking to last minute

Flight comparison site Skyscanner has reported a significant change in the way people are booking flights since the global downturn began. Examining data for three of its most popular routes from the UK, Skyscanner found that, although overall search numbers were up, in 2008 users searched for flights an average of 146 days ahead of when they planned to travel, but in 2009 this dropped to just 34 days.
Barry Smith, Skyscanner co-founder and director commented:“There are two obvious reasons for this trend for later bookings. In the middle of the UK’s worst recession in decades many people didn’t want to book holidays too far in advance, in case they lost their jobs. People also need to feel confident about the viability of airlines. Over the last 18 months, a number of airlines have folded and people are much more cautious of losing flights if they book too far ahead.
“The irony of this is that although people are understandably keen to be financially prudent, it can be self-defeating as it’s almost always cheaper to book flights in advance – prices tend to rise the closer you get to the date of departure.”
www.skyscanner.net

UK consumers cutting back less and largely unaffected by VAT increase

UK consumers ‘cut back’ less on non-essential purchases during 2009 than they did in 2008; and the VAT increase has so far made little difference to the majority’s spending behaviour, according to new research from leading agency GfK NOP. The research, carried out amongst a 1,420 strong representative sample of the British public in mid-January revealed a marked fall in the amount of people cutting back across a range of purchases during 2009, compared to the findings of the same survey carried out during late 2008.

In 2008, for example, 54% of consumers claimed to have cut back on buying clothes as a result of the recession, dropping to 37% during 2009 – a fall of some 17% in those spending less on clothes in just one year. The appetite for holidays and short breaks is also improving, according to the research, with 14% fewer consumers making cut backs in this area in 2009 compared to 2008 (45% down to 31%).  Entertaining and eating out are also very much on the agenda; with a fall in those reducing spend on entertaining of 12% (35% to 23%), and eating out of 8% (51% to 43%).

The attitudes of respondents towards the recent VAT increase point to further cause for cautious optimism, with almost two thirds (63%) claiming that it will make little difference to their purchasing behaviour during 2010. However, almost one in three (32%) claim to have brought forward a purchase during the last months of 2009 to avoid the rise.

www.gfknop.com

Apple products top counterfeit goods online

PriceMinister, a prominent online marketplace in the UK and the leading e-commerce website in France, has recently announced a strategy to protect consumers from counterfeit products, making it one of the safest places to buy on the internet.

In November 2009, statistics in the fourth edition of the CtoC study of PriceMinister/LaPoste by OpinionWay showed that there is more pressure from European consumers for protection against fake goods:

·          36% of shoppers believed that the fear of counterfeiting has limited the amount of ecommerce on the internet (or a 1% increase compared to 2008)

·          26% of shoppers expect better protection against counterfeiting on the internet (or a 9% increase compared to 2008).

On all invoices submitted by vendors suspected of counterfeiting:

·          41% of sellers reported being supplied from other online marketplaces

·          25% reported having procured the property directly from a Chinese website, 13% from a supplier in France.

·          10% said that the product was a gift.

In 2008, 59% of counterfeits detected by PriceMinister concerned the fashion industry. This included clothing, leather goods, watches, perfumes and cosmetics.  Electronics (including phones, MP3 players, software, etc.) represented 37% of counterfeits.  However items like books, puzzles and toys were not as affected.

More importantly, 2008 was marked by a strong growth in high-tech counterfeiting with an increase of +170%, against an increase of 13% for fashion.

Apple products were top of the list of fake products identified in 2008, followed by perfumes, Microsoft and then Nike. The top twenty on the list were:

1.      Apple

2.      Perfumes

3.      Microsoft

4.      Nike

5.      Sony

6.      Nokia

7.      Playboy

8.      Chanel

9.      Dolce & Gabbana

10.  Burberry

11.  Ralph Lauren

12.  Diesel

13.  Adidas

14.  Yves Rocher

15.  Armani

16.  Nintendo

17.  Sandisk

18.  Lacoste

19.  DVDs

20.  Hugo Boss

www.PriceMinister.co.uk