Global E-commerce and Social Media Uptake – Report

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GlobalWebIndex has released some interesting new research tracking social media usage and activity across the globe over the past few years. Read on for some great insights.

According to recently released findings from GlobalWebIndex, who surveyed 40,000 internet users in 27 countries, showed that nearly 60 percent of internet users worldwide manage a social network profile on a monthly basis, up from 36 percent just two-and-a-half years ago.

However, the report suggests that while the growth is impressive, Facebook usage has practically reached saturation coverage in the more mature online market, with the growth stemming from emerging digital markets like India and Brazil.

Interestingly, the report indicates that Facebook users on a global basis have reduced the frequency of key activities, including searching for new contacts and sending messages to friends. The survey indicated that from July of 2009 to November 2011, messaging friends declined 12 percent, searching for new contacts fell 17 percent and joining a group of Facebook users dropped 19 percent in the US.

The latest research also found that e-commerce is big business in developed markets and growing in emerging internet economies. Just over 59 percent of global internet users had purchased a product online in the past month, and 53 percent had reviewed or researched a product.

Article by Grant Arnott

Grant Arnott is the editor and publisher of Power Retail. Other hats include Content Manager for the Online Retailer Conference, Program Director for the Online Retail Industry Awards, Global Head of The Media Pad Pty Ltd, and adoptive father of a fast-growing Golden Retriever. Grant has a specialist business publishing background spanning more than a decade, and contributes regularly to a multitude of print and digital business media.