Hungary

There were 6,176,400 internet users in Hungary (representing 61.9% of the population) in June 2011, according to Internet World Stats. (Internet world Stats, August 2011)

The number of internet subscriptions reached 3.3 million at the end of 2010 in Hungary, according to the Hungarian Central Statistical Office. This represented a 19.2% increase compared to 2009.  (Hungarian Central Statistical Office, March 2011)

The internet is an indispensable tool used by Hungarians to manage their lives, rather than a "toy" or a "source of entertainment", according to The Digital Connected Consumers 2011 study of GfK Hungária presenting the habits of five types of digital connected consumers.  

More and more people in the relatively older age groups are discovering the advantages the web has to offer, and also the fact that they can save time and money and make their lives simpler by managing their transactions online. On the other hand, it is this age group which still has some anxiety about the contents on the internet can still be seen. It is mostly the middle aged (30-to 49-years-old) internet users who think that the contents published on the internet should be checked using a lot stricter method and systematized into a kind of structure.

GfK Hungária has identified five markedly different groups on the basis of their attitude to the digital world:

1. Fanatics - the virtual world of young people emotionally attached to the net: About 230,000 people may belong to this group. Multi-tasking, holding a plurality of digital tools and customising their user profiles are very typical of them - this is a matter of prestige. Surfing the net, handling their digital "gadgets" almost entirely take up their free time, they socialise through them - certainly with the intensive presence of the social media. They are clearly innovators, and early adapters. The most important commercial and marketing message for them is mobility, portability, and to "be online" at every moment. It is unacceptable for the members of this group to "stay away" from the social networking sites for a long period. They are less responsive to the marketing messages connected to the more practical side of the Internet.

2. Those Hanging on the Net - online transaction of affairs and consumption of web2 contents: This  320,000-strong segment is significantly different from the previous one in one respect; it is less attached to the tools used for surfing the net. It is important to them to comment on the contents published on the Internet and be able to edit them. The pages and activities such as Wikipedia and writing blogs are popular with this group. The target group is clearly interactive, and this is also suggested by the appearance of online transaction of affairs. This segment is typically made up by career-starters and men aged 30-to 39, who make their lives easier by being online. They respond to interactive Internet use, applications making user feedback possible, and marketing messages about the advantages of online life.

3. Gadget Maniacs - focus on mobility, portability: There are probably nearly half a million people in this group. They do not find pleasure in surfing the Internet as an activity, but in using the mobile tools belonging to it. They like to discover new functions on their most modern devices. The segment is characterised by "material affinity" in the sense that the members of the group are less attracted by the virtual world, but rather by the sense of achievement when discovering, experiencing a new device or function. As a result, they use the net less than the previous segments, and do so mostly on portable devices. Browsing in their case is less interactive, "passive Internet activities" dominate (e.g. viewing photos, profiles of others on social networking sites, visiting file and video sharing sites).

4. Targeted Information Seekers: rational net use: Their activities on the web are primarily driven by rational elements. Surfing the net for them is not about building relationships, seeking entertainment, games, expanding their social network, but about the online transaction of business. There are about 750,000 Internet users with this attitude to the web. They are not attached to social networking sites, web2 contents, and their "attachment" to the hardware they use is very weak as well. The central elements of successful marketing communications in their case are online transaction of affairs and e-gate.

5. The Distrustful - they expect stricter regulation of online content: At the back of their more moderate Internet activities are the fear of viruses spreading through the Internet, and the protection of their personal data. This is the least innovative segment, they respond to the new products, services appearing on the IT and telecommunication markets later than the majority. The most attractive products and services to them are rather connected to watching television and navigation, and not so much to being online. With their 1.1 million members, they are the largest segment at present.

(GfK Hungaria, April 2011)

Interactive TV & Wireless devices

Mobile phones & wireless access

The number of mobile subscriptions reached 12 million at the end of 2010 in Hungary, according to the Hungarian Central Statistical Office. There were 120 mobile subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. (Hungarian Central Statistical Office, March 2011)