Each year, the Office for National Statistics releases data on internet usage for households and individuals — something which may sound very dry but is actually vital for anyone running a website or an online business. After all, if you’re looking to target internet users as potential customers, you want to know what they’re up to.
The most startling fact, perhaps, was that the internet was accessed every single day by 78% of UK adults in 2015. Compared with just 35% of them in 2006, this is an astonishing increase that shows just how connected we are every day of our lives.
A remarkable 96% of people aged 16 to 24 access the internet ‘on the go’, or in other words on their mobiles or tablets. This is an enormous revelation for those who still think having a mobile-optimised website isn’t important. If your website isn’t optimised for mobile, you’re missing out on 96% of that segment of the market, which is not great business sense by any measure.
Social networking is also on the rise, being used by 61% of adults. This is one of the primary new routes of advertising and shows some excellent returns — growing each day in most industries. Of those 61%, a huge 79% access social media either every day or almost every day.
If you’re not yet selling online, you’re missing out. 76% of adults bought goods or services online in 2015, which is up from just 53% in 2008. Clothes and sporting goods were the items most often bought online, but the vast majority of industries saw a big increase in online sales. If you’re not selling online, you’re missing out on 76% of the market.
Over the past quarter, 22% of adults bought online just once or twice, with 28% of adults completing more than 11 transactions online, or more than roughly one a week. 42% of adults had made purchases totalling £100 to £499 in the past three months. This goes to show that high-value goods are also bought online in ever-increasing numbers.
And to show how Britain is becoming more and more connected, in 2006 only 57% of households had internet access. That’s now an astonishing 86%, which goes to show that the offline world is no longer where you should be concentrating your efforts. The internet and online shopping is now ubiquitous and needs to be the focus of your efforts if you’re to be successful in business in 2015, 2016 and beyond.
If you want to take advantage of the web and make it work for you and your business, contact us today for more information on how we can help you.
