The Internet has become an essential tool for sales and marketing. After all, because of pandemic restrictions, movement from all over the world became limited and remote work was implemented due to these restrictions-these greatly affected pre-pandemic activities, including shopping for goods and services.
Because of the quarantine, even small businesses are now migrating online. So nowadays, owning a website and a social media account has become a need for business growth. In addition, sales of goods and services are no longer reliant on offline offices, costly ad campaigns on television, or in print periodicals, as they formerly were.
Fortunately, businesses don’t have to worry about the costs of moving their business online. After all, anyone with a small budget who wants to promote their business on the Internet can reach their target amount of clients using online marketing at the lowest cost per conversion. Furthermore, you can gain your first clients free of charge with various traffic sources and a unique strategy.
So, in this article, we will discuss the most fascinating and relevant information about the Internet and internet marketing.
The Total Number of People Who Utilize the Internet around the World
According to the Digital 2021 research, there are 4.66 billion Internet users worldwide, equating to 59.5% of the world’s total population, and 66.6% of the world’s population uses mobile phones. Furthermore, the number of new users from mobile devices outnumbers those from PCs.
In addition, 53.6% of people have at least one social media account. And every year, an additional 7% of the world’s population gets access to the Internet. Social media platforms have also witnessed a 13% increase in their audience.
So, even though only around half of the world’s population has access to the Internet, it will still be possible to offer services and products to them shortly that are available in more developed countries. And based on social media users’ data, we can conclude that this medium continues to be the primary promotional tool for most users.
Geographical Location and User Behavior
Asia comes first in terms of its number of users, while the Middle East and Australia, including Oceania, come last. Here is the breakdown of the percentage of users per region:
- Asia – 54.9%
- Europe – 14.3%
- Africa – 11.5%
- Latin America and the Caribbean – 9.6%
- North America – 6.7%
- Middle East – 3.9%
- Australia and Oceania – 0.6%
From 2000 to 2021, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America saw the most significant rise in users. In some African countries, there has also been a boom in new users. In terms of total time spent on the Internet, the Philippines, Colombia, Brazil, and Kenya are the four leading countries in this category.
As for the population’s user behaviors, 63% of people mostly go online to seek information. On the other hand, 56.3% use the Internet to interact with relatives and friends, while 55.6% of users refer to the Internet to stay up to date on news and current events.
And according to additional data, developing countries will see a tremendous increase in new users, with social networks, search engines, news services, and the media serving as the primary traffic sources.
Points of Interest and User Complaints
Without a doubt, Google is the most well-known and commonly used search engine. On the other hand, the most widely used social media platform is Facebook, followed by YouTube and WhatsApp. To add, YouTube is watched by 90% of individuals aged 16 to 64.
Nowadays, voice technologies are becoming more widespread, with 43% of web users utilizing such technologies. And because the Internet is developing quicker than in some countries, this technology can be precious in places where people cannot read or write.
As for the video game industry, revenues are increasing at 10% each year on average. Furthermore, the gaming community is no longer solely comprised of young people. Instead, more people from older generations have taken an interest in video games, with approximately 66% of all adults aged 55-64 playing video games on some device.
Online shopping is getting increasingly popular, with quarantine serving as the primary driver of e-commerce growth in 2020. At least once a year, 76.8% of users make an online transaction, with Indonesians, British citizens, Thais, Malaysians, and Poles leading among the rest of internet shoppers. Moreover, the most popular purchases among users are Fashion and beauty products, travel and tourist items, and electronics and gadgets.
However, despite the overall ease and speed of distribution and the good aspects, new obstacles emerge that must be addressed collaboratively. Below are some of the most frequently discussed subjects among online users:
Unauthorized usage of personal data is causing increasing concern. 64% of users are concerned about this issue, according to the Global Web Index.*
- An increasing irritation with excessive adverts – by 2020, over half of the users around the world had installed ad blockers;
- Skepticism of internet information and facts grew to 56% in 2020 and continues to rise at a rate of 2-3% every year;*
- Cybercrime & online fraud are on the rise. According to studies, worldwide cybersecurity expenditures will rise 15% every year by 2021, with cybercrime income averaging $190,000 per second. Ransomware is the most harmful type of malicious software. This is because it does the most damage to the economy and individual enterprises.
Online Business
In 2018, six out of ten small businesses did not have a website. However, as the years go by, this number is expected to plummet. After all, Nasdaq predicts that by 2040, 95% of all transactions and sales will be made online. Nonetheless, one’s desire to hold a product in their hands and lengthy delivery times remain the two main reasons why individuals still prefer offline purchases.
Still, this indicates that e-commerce will take most sales and transfer them all online in the future, while technologies that will bridge the gap between purchasers and the goods provided online will be in great demand.
Moreover, here are some other statistics to assist you in better understanding online consumer behavior:
- On average, men spend $70 more on digital transactions than women.
- If a website requires one to log in for a purchase, 23% of buyers will refuse to complete the transaction.
- People prefer online shopping for various reasons, including lower costs, loyalty to a single website or brand, quick delivery, and the availability of goods in stock.
- Approximately 30% of purchasers prefer to return to the same website where they previously made a purchase;
- 71% of customers believe that internet purchases are more profitable than traditional transactions.
Research states that getting new client costs around five times as much as keeping an old one. And based on these statistics, we can conclude that the e-commerce business is still far from meeting the current demand, let alone the growing number of users.
After all, there are still varying issues with customer service, product presentation, and logistics. And for a much more pleasant online shopping experience, one must come up with the necessary solutions to fill the following gaps and increase conversion rates.
Online Marketing and Sales
You can use Internet marketing to promote not only online businesses but any offline business. For instance, Google Adverts, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram are the most popular platforms for displaying ads. Tik-Tok is growing in popularity as well.
Videos are the most appealing material to potential clients. After all, users prefer watching product videos over reading a product description by 40%. And by utilizing video material for your products and services, you can also get 157% more organic traffic by integrating video content.
In addition, a blog is becoming a must-have for any company looking to expand its business. For instance, small companies that run a blog get 126% more potential clients than those that don’t. And 61% of people will buy anything after seeing a recommendation on a blog, while 94% of people will share the content they see on blogs with their friends and family.
Future Trends in Online Business
The world undergoing quarantine restrictions paved the way for irrevocable transformations in the field of business. As a result, the most significant online business development trends will impose new regulations on society. The following are the general development vectors:
- Replacing other jobs requiring human labor with artificial intelligence, machine learning, neural networks, and blockchains;
- Reducing barriers between individuals, thanks to technologies that will allow them to work remotely and on a flexible schedule – which implies more freedom of movement as borders are opened;
- Transition to more advanced information-gathering technologies, such as Google’s goal to eliminate cookie-based data collection by 2023;
- Online education’s growing importance and popularity;
- The advent of new, never-before-used technology, such as autopilots, distant medical solutions, and the replacement of ordinary professions with algorithms, digital currencies, & so on.
Wrapping Up
With the population’s frequent and increasing internet usage, online consumerism is expected to rise, even during post-pandemic times. After all, there are a variety of means a business can do to jumpstart their business in the online market, which isn’t that costly, even for small businesses.
And thanks to today’s tools and technologies, the possibilities are endless. And shortly, we can expect more advancements in the Internet that will make our online experiences much more convenient and better, particularly for those who want to expand their business in the online world. This article was written in partnership with Galaksion.
