Brits spend more time online than any other European country, with one third of traffic now coming from smartphones or tablets, according to a new report from ComScore.
The findings from part of comScore’s new 2013 UK Digital Future in Focus report, which looks at prevailing trends in web usage, online video, mobile and search, plus a special review of social, shopping and silver surfers.
According to the study, UK consumers are more digitally-engaged than ever before and their usage of mobile, internet-enabled devices is re-defining the UK media landscape.
Key insights from the 2013 UK Digital Future in Focus (#FutureinFocus) report include:
• 44.8 million people in the UK used the desktop-based internet in December 2012, a 5 percent increase over the past year.Brits also spent more time online than any other European country, highlighting the market’s fertile ground for digital marketers. Source: comScore MMX
• The UK online video audience grew 8 percent in the past year, whilst mobile video audience grew 262 percent. Source: comScore Video Metrix
• Page views from Non-PC devices reached an all-time high with nearly 1/3 of all UK page views now from smartphones and tablets. Source: comScore Device Essentials
• 64 percent of UK mobile users owned a smartphone, while 82 percent of new phones acquired in December 2012 were smartphones. The rapid adoption of internet-enabled devices is creating a more fragmented digital media landscape.Source: comScore MobiLens
• Google maintains its strong hold of the search engine market, capturing 91 percent of all UK searches. As the search market continues to evolve, Brits are also turning to non-traditional search sites such as Amazon and eBay to search for information and products. Source: comScore qSearch
• Facebook remains the leading social network in the UK, capturing the greatest number of unique visitors. However, there are some rising stars on the horizon – Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest and Goodreads – that have all witnessed strong growth over the year across both PC and mobile. Source: comScore MMX
• 55+ year old internet users represent an important part of the UK online audience, accounting for 20.4 percent of the online population. Source: comScore MMX
• Online shopping now reaches 9 out of 10 UK internet users, while mobile shopping is growing rapidly as 1 in 5 Brits used their smartphone to purchase a good or service in December 2012. Source: comScore MMX and comScore MobiLens
“We’ve been preparing for a future scenario where most people will consume content on the go and PCs would no longer be the centre of the digital universe. This future is quickly becoming a reality with smartphones, now in the hands of 2 out of every 3 UK mobile phone owners, and devices such as smartphone and tablets now driving nearly a third of internet usage,” said Mike Read, SVP and Managing Director for comScore in the UK. “2013 is shaping up to be an exciting year that started with a successful launch of our partnership with UKOM and will soon see the introduction of a much-needed, multi-platform audience measurement tool. The ability to understand usage across computers, smartphones and tablets will better reflect the state of digital media today, facilitate cross-platform comparisons, and enable clients to effectively manage their digital investments.”
To download the 2013 UK Digital Future in Focus report, click here
Complimentary Webinar
Join Cathy McCarthy, VP of Marketing, EMEA & APAC on Tuesday, 5th March at 10am GMT as she shares key insights from the 2013 UK Digital Future in Focus report and discusses what these trends mean for marketers.
For more information and to register for the webinar, click here