Australian consumers are set to loosen the purse strings with a new research study tipping a spending spree on Internet enabled devices spanning tablets, smartphones and IP enabled TV’s.
According to a Nielsen research 24 percent of Australian Internet users were considering purchasing a tablet computer in the next 12 months, while 22 percent thought they might purchase a handheld multi-media device such as an iPad, 28 percent said that they were considering purchasing a Smartphone.
It’s also been revealed that more than one third of Australians (36%) accessed the Internet via their mobile phone in the past 30 days and 13 percent accessed the Internet via a handheld media device other than a mobile. In the coming 12 months, more than half of online Australians (51%) were likely to access the Internet via their mobile phone and as many as 30 percent indicated they may access the Internet via a handheld device other than a mobile.
The Nielsen findings also point to an increase in consumption of online video, both via traditional computers and handheld multimedia devices, while growth in video consumption via mobiles was steady. More than three quarters of online Australians (77 percent) watched video content on their computer at least once in the past 30 days and a further 26 percent watched video on their mobile phone. Just under one third (31%) watched video on a handheld multimedia device in the past 30 days.
This compares to 71 percent of online Australians who watched video on their computer in April 2010, 28 percent who watched video on their mobile phone, and just 18 percent who watched video on a handheld multimedia device.
With the capabilities of mobile phone constantly expanding, Australians appear to be open to adopting new mobile functionality and technologies – while texting remains the number one activity undertaken on mobile phones in Australia, 22 percent have sent an email via their mobile phone, 17 percent have downloaded an application to their mobile and six percent have made a purchase, sale or payment using their mobile phone. A further 55 percent of online Australians say they would consider using their mobile phone to make purchases in shops and restaurants in the same way they would use cash or a credit card.
“Australians’ love of technology, particularly anything to do with online connectivity, is insatiable, the more the capabilities expand, the more we want,” observes Matt Bruce, Managing Director of Nielsen’s online business in Australia. “With such a rapid take-up of new technology in Australia, there are more opportunities than ever for marketers and media companies to reach out to consumers – whether it be via mobile, video or traditional Internet – the challenge lies in crafting meaningful, well-timed messages to achieve cut-through in a landscape where there are an increasing number of voices all vying for consumers’ attention.”
