Trends in Australasian Digital Marketing

For those who track digital marketing trends in Australasia, there is an abstract called ‘Australian Internet Statistics Compendium' that spans 450 pages and is updated monthly. Published by Econsultancy – a consortium of digital marketing and ecommerce professionals – they have a database of online resources that assists its members in building their businesses. From this avalanche of information Econsultancy has compiled a statistical snapshot of Australian internet use for the end of 2012.

Looking at demographics, email usage, social media and search marketing, they have found a number of tendencies that will influence future business goals and strategies of its members in the coming year.
According to the Compendium, the average Australian spends almost 44 hours a month surfing the web on a PC but only 15% of total Australian Internet use occurs at home. 52% of Australians use the internet every day, 95% of Australian consumers have used the internet during the past 12 months and 56% of consumers research the web for online products, services and retailers – not surprisingly, 92% of Australian SMEs use the internet. These statistics are an invaluable tool for digital marketers looking to tailor their products and services to the Australian consumer.

Further evidencing the power of the internet in Australia, consider this: email is the most widely used online marketing channel, with 85% of marketers utilizing this avenue to reach consumers. This statistic is revealing since 80% of Australians check their email daily and 71% log onto their email before they even make breakfast or go to work. With this information, 47% of marketers planned to ramp up their investment in email platforms during 2012.

The reach of social networks is also quantified by the Compendium. For example, a quarter of the total time Australians spent on the web in November 2011 was on Facebook. Given this fact, little wonder that 72% of Australian SMEs believe that investment in social media will increase their sales. Further, 39% of large Australian businesses measure ROI for social media.

In the realm of search marketing, the Compendium found that SEO is the second most widely use online marketing resource in Australia with 81% of companies actively involved. Concerning Australian client-side marketers, 53% outsourced paid search marketing and 45% outsourced SEO marketing during 2012.
Many other fascinating and revealing facts are found in this abstract; its impact will no doubt shape marketing and ecommerce in Australia for years to come.

 

Dapper Design is a New Zealand-based web design and branding agency, helping Australasian businesses to successfully navigate their increasingly digital environments.