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| Travel Industry Online Developments |
| Broadband Access |
| Interactive TV & Mobile Devices |
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Usage Patterns
| Total Online Population (000's) in 2009 | 25,086 |
| Percentage of Population Online in 2009 | 74.9% |
Demographics
There were 25,086,000 internet users in Brazil (representing 74.9% of the population) in September 2009, according to Internet World Stats. This was up by 97.5% since 2000. (Internet World Stats, November 2009)
In Canada, almost 70% of the population is online in 2009 (a higher percentage than in the US), according to a survey by Microsoft Canada and OTX Research, carried out in June and July 2009. The country also boasts some of the world's most active internet users, who spent 42 hours and more online in one month alone. The survey aimed to monitor changes in Canadians' attitudes and actions online since the first "Context Matters" study, commissioned by Microsoft in 2007. The results revealed a complex behavioural picture. According to the survey, every device, from desktop PC to MP3 player, was used at some point to go online.
People are connecting via the internet using more devices than we would automatically assume, according to Microsoft Canada. For example, netbooks are really allowing people ‘Internet everywhere,' beyond what the laptop offered. Game consoles are also providing online access, which opens up another interesting perspective. Yet each type of device was used even more often for non-internet activities. Communication (both online and offline) played a big role in the activity logs for most devices. But respondents also used the Web for other, noncommunication purposes, such as research or playing games.
Internet users in Canada using selected consumer electronic devices to use the internet, June-July 2009 (% of time spent with device):
- Desktop PC: 25% (use the internet for non-communication) / 15% (communicate via the internet)
- Laptop: 23% / 14%
- Netbook: 31% / 13%
- Smartphone: 4% / 7%
- Mobile phone: 2% / 2%
- MP3/MP4 player: 5% / 4%
- Video game console: 20% / 1%
- Video game handheld console: 32% / 4%
The survey also reported some significant shifts in Canadians' motivations for using the Web.
As in 2007, communication was the main reason for going online, cited by 51% of all respondents. But this motivation was stronger among women than men-a trend also noted consistently by researchers in the US. Moreover, the number of women who mentioned communication as a key driver of Web use had risen 8% since 2007 (among men, the increase was just 1%). Even greater gains were evident in the 16-to-24 age group, where the number going online to communicate had risen 14% in two years.
Entertainment was a much bigger motivating factor in 2009 than in 2007. Web users ages 16 to 24 were a bellwether here too; 29% of respondents in this group said they went online to be entertained-up almost one-quarter since 2007.
E-commerce fell marginally as a reason to go online, probably because the recession has squeezed consumer budgets. Content creation also dropped slightly in popularity. This is somewhat surprising, given the explosion in social networking and widespread press coverage of user-generated content, but more plausible when we consider that this research was conducted in June and July-the best months to enjoy outdoor activities in most regions of Canada.
But the biggest shift was in the status of information as a reason to access the Internet. Except in the 25-to-34 age group, survey respondents said they were now less likely than in 2007 to go online to inform themselves. (eMarketer, November 2009)
More than 69% of the population is online in Canada in 2009, according to eMarketer. This compares with less than 65% in the US.
Internet users and penetration in Canada, 2008-2013:
- 2008: 22.6 million (68.1% of the population)
- 2009: 23.4 million (69.2%)
- 2010: 24.1 million (70.9%)
- 2011: 24.8 million (71.9%)
- 2012: 25.4 million (74.1%)
- 2013: 25.9 million (74.9%)
A large part of the personal time internet users in Canada spend online is taken up with e-mail and instant messaging (IM). Two-thirds of the Web users polled said they checked their e-mail often during an average day, and 95% checked at least once a day. In addition, over one-third of respondents used IM several times a day. (eMarketer, March 2009)
Internet uptake varies substantially from one part of Canada to another, according to BBM Analytics. The French-speaking province of Quebec still trails other regions in access and internet use.
- British Columbia: 66%
- Alberta: 65%
- Ontario: 63%
- Manitoba/Saskatchewan: 55%
- Atlantic: 53%
- Quebec: 49%
The vast majority of Canadians do not consider themselves to be expert with technology and many feel the need to play catch-up just to keep pace with technological changes, according to an Ipsos Reid study. To help them stay informed on high-tech issues, Canadians turn to two non-technical information sources - friends and family (25%) as well as newspapers (23%). Other sources include magazines and trade publications, online consumer reports/blogs, retail outlets, technology company websites and trade shows.
Overall, internet use in Canada skews high in the youth demographic. In 2007, 93% of people in Canada ages 16 to 34 went online, while the access rate among those ages 65 and older was only 29%, according to Statistics Canada (StatCan).
- 16-34: 93%
- 35-54: 80%
- 55-64: 61%
- 65+: 29%
This is roughly the same pattern seen in comScore data, where internet users in Canada ages 2 to 17 outnumber the 65 and older age group by more than 3-to-1, and those ages 18 to 24 outnumber online seniors by more than 2-to-1.
- Aged 18-54: 88% in 2006 up from 82% in 2001
- Aged 55 and older: 61% in 2006, up from 48% in 2001
Ipsos adds that not only are older Canadians less likely to be online, those who are spend less time on the internet than do younger adults (nearly 35% less). (eMarketer, February 2007)
A majority of Canadians (52%) are not fully satisfied with their internet experience, according to an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Rogers High Speed internet.
Digital Media
21 million Canadians viewed more than 3.1 billion videos online during February 2009, according to comScore. The average Canadian online video viewer spent 10 hours viewing videos in February, up 53% from their average viewing time the previous year. Canada's high broadband penetration and tech savvy Internet users make it an optimal environment for online video to flourish, according to comScore.
Google Sites led as the most popular video destination in February with more than 1.6 billion videos viewed (52% share of all videos), and YouTube.com (owned by Google) accounting for nearly 99% of videos viewed at the property. Microsoft Sites ranked as the second most popular video destination with 55.6 million videos viewed (1.8% share), followed by Yahoo! Sites with 45.7 million videos (1.5% share).
More than 21 million Canadian viewers (or 88%) of the total Canadian internet population, watched an average of 147 videos per viewer in February. Google Sites attracted the most viewers with 18.2 million watching an average of 89 videos per viewer during the month. Microsoft Sites drew 7.1 million viewers, while Facebook ranked third with 5.8 million viewers.
Nearly 88% of the total Canadian Web population (or more than 21 million people) viewed online video in February, the highest penetration of the five countries currently reported by comScore Video Metrix (France 82%, Germany 82%, UK 81%, US 76%). The average online video viewer in Canada watched 605 minutes of video in the month, the largest amount of time of the five countries reported by comScore Video Metrix (UK 540 minutes, Germany 466 minutes, France 390 minutes, US 312 minutes). (comScore, April 2009)
A new study released by Ipsos Reid, has found that online Canadians are multi-tasking for almost one-half of the time they spend on the internet.
On average, online Canadians spend almost equal amounts of time on the internet and watching television - approximately 15 hours each. Both measures remain essentially unchanged from early 2007. Online Canadians spend an additional 10 hours each week listening to the radio, while only 3 hours - or less than 30 minutes a day - reading the newspaper.
The ‘net generation' - those that have grown up with technology - should be of particular concern to advertisers and traditional media. This segment of the population is spending significantly more time online and significantly less time watching television than their older counterparts. Those aged 18-34 are spending 18.4 hours online each week, compared to 13.6 hours and 14.2 hours for those aged 35-54 and those aged 55+, respectively. Further evidence as to some of the struggles being faced by traditional media companies in the internet age: 40% of online Canadians do not read magazines, 19% do not read a newspaper and 15% do not listen to the radio. (Ipsos, January 2009)
Search Engines and Searches
Google search properties accounted for 80.46% of all Canadian searches conducted in the 12 weeks ending Oct. 3, 2009, according to Experian® Hitwise®. Yahoo! search properties, Bing search properties and Ask search properties received 7.99%, 7.65% and 3.09%, respectively. The remaining 46 search engines in the Experian Hitwise Search Engine Analysis Tool accounted for 1% of Canadian searches.
Percentage of Canadian searches among leading search engine providers, September 2009:
1. Google search properties: 80.46% (+1% compared to August 2009)
2. Yahoo! Search properties: 7.99% (-5%)
3. Bing search properties*: 7.65% (-6%)
4. Ask search properties: 3.09% (+11%)
*Includes executed searches on Bing, Live.com and MSN search but does not include searches on Club.Live.com
Searches averaging five to more than eight words in length increased 1% between August and September 2009. Searches of eight or more words increased 3%. The same time period showed that shorter search queries - those averaging one to four words long - were flat from month to month. Searches of two words comprised the majority of searches, amounting to 25.73% of all queries.
Experian Hitwise separates Web sites into more than 165 industry categories, and the Search Engines category came out on top, capturing 28.18% of all Canadian internet visits in September 2009. The Business and Finance and Entertainment categories received the next-highest number of visits, with 15.02% and 14.82%, respectively. The categories that received the largest gain from month to month were the Sports-Fantasy category, increasing 157%; the Community - Humanitarian category, with a 150% increase; and the Computers and Internet - Internet Advertising category, increasing 114%.(Hitwise North America Newsletter - October 2009, October 2009)
An average of 70% of Canadian searches were ‘successful' in the 12 weeks ending June 27, 2009 (average of all search engines), according to Hitwise Canada Search Report. A successful search is defined as one where the consumer leaves the search engine after performing a search. This means that nearly a third (30%) of searchers were forced to conduct a fresh search to find relevant results. (Hitwise North America Newsletter - August 2009, August 2009)
The following list shows the success rate of the top 10 search engines in Canada in the twelve weeks to August 29, 2009, according to Hitwise. Note that Bing enjoyed the highest success rate among these leading search engines, with a 78.74% success rate, closely followed by Yahoo! Search Canada at 77.45%.
Hitwise Canada: Top 10 Search Engines (by share of searches) - 12 weeks to August 28, 2009:
1. www.google.ca: 68.13% (share of searches) / 72.94% (success rate)
2. www.google.com: 11.83% / 69.16%
3. www.bing.com: 7.71% / 78.39%
4. ca.search.yahoo.com: 5.53% / 77.44%
5. www.ask.com: 2.77% / 68.93%
6. search.yahoo.com: 2.69% / 75.07%
7. www.live.com: 0.39% / 7.70%
8. www.google.co.uk: 0.16% / 74.20%
9. qc.search.yahoo.com: 0.15% / 77.31%
10. www.google.fr: 0.11% / 48.81%
Hitwise defines a successful search as one where the consumer leaves the search engine after performing a search. The relatively low success rate of Canadian searches offers an obvious opportunity for search engines to improve relevance but also provides search marketers an opportunity to use geo-targeting to ensure Canadian searchers are being presented with Canadian websites in search results. (Hitwise, September 2009)
A new study released by Ipsos Reid entitled "Search Marketing in Canada" has found that online Canadians are overwhelmingly satisfied with their internet search results from search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft’s Live Search:
- 80% online Canadians agree that they are getting the best results from their primary search engine.
- 66% agree that their search results are objective.
- Three-quarters of online Canadians indicate they can usually find what they are looking for on the first page of search results.
When it comes to paid advertising included within internet searches, online Canadians are very sceptical with almost two-thirds (62%) agreeing that they feel this way toward paid searches. This may be a reflection of the early days of the internet where pop-up advertising and viruses were more commonplace. The scepticism shown by online Canadians is probably a reflection of past tactics and the early frontiers of search marketing.
The quantity of online advertising also has an impact on online Canadians' perception of search engines:
- Approximately one-half agree that this impacted their perception.
- 28% agreed that it was always clear in paid results who the advertiser is.
- 52% of online Canadians agreed that search engines should disclose business deals in search results.
The placement of search results is also critical:
- Three-quarters of online Canadians agree that what they really want is usually found on the first page of search results.
- 29% agreed with the statement that 'I have to search through more than three pages of search results to find what I want'.
- 13% of online Canadians agree that what they usually are searching for can be found in a paid online advertisement.
It would appear that online advertising in search results works:
- 44% online Canadians stated that they had clicked on an advertisement that appeared in their search results.
- One-third (29%) stated that they had clicked on a paid search even when the regular search term appeared within their search results.
(Ipsos, September 2008)
Access
Over eight in ten Canadians (82%) now have internet access at home, according to a study released by Ipsos Reid examining Online Trends and Activities. This represents a 6% increase from Q2, 2008 and a 4% increase from Q4, 2008.
Even in difficult economic times, Canadians understand that having internet access is essential in today's society, according to Ipsos Reid. Internet access is critical to finding employment, it can be used to save money, for paying bills, finding deals, and as a form of entertainment. It has become so important to the lives of Canadians, that in some areas of the country, internet access is almost identical to home telephone access.
The study found that access at home is almost universal for those under 55 years of age as 89% of those aged 18 to 34 and 87% of those aged 35 to 54 have internet access at home. In comparison, only 69% of those aged 55+ have access at home. Ipsos Reid indicates that the older generation is the fastest growing segment of online users, quickly catching up to the younger generations in their adoption of the internet. By comparison, in Q1, 2006 only one-half (57%) of those aged 55+ had internet access.
Dial-up access is in the last stages of use as only 8% of internet-enabled Canadians access the internet through this method, while about eight in ten are using some form of high speed access. Interestingly, there has also been a rise in the last 18 months of an ‘other' category - widely suspected to be Mobile Broadband Sticks, Netbooks and Smartphone users.
For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1,002 adult Canadians was interviewed by telephone from July 6-10, 2009. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within ± 3.1% points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population of Canada been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure that the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data. (Ipsos Reid, October 2009)
Gender
- 2005: 16.8 million (68.0% of total population)
- 2007: 19.2 million (73.0%)
In 2007, 96% of 16 to 24 year-olds went online, compared with only 29% of those 65 and older. However, internet use increased across all age groups since 2005.
- 2-17: 10.2% (male) / 10.2% (female)
- 18-24: 5.9% (male) / 5.8% (female)
- 25-34: 8.2% (male) / 8.1% (female)
- 35-44: 9.8% (male) / 9.7% (female)
- 45-54: 8.4% (male) / 8.4% (female)
- 55-64: 4.5% (male) / 4.5% (female)
- 65+: 3.2% (male) / 3.1% (female)
- Total 2+: 50.2% (male) / 49.8% (female)
Canada leads the US in the percentage of households with broadband access, and will continue to do so through 2012. Statistics Canada estimated that 88% of people who accessed the internet at home in Canada did so with a high-speed connection in 2007, up from 80% two years earlier. It attributed the growth to new users bypassing dial-up altogether and existing users switching from slower services. (eMarketer, July 2008)
Last Updated on Monday, 22 February 2010 11:46
