Commerce

GlobalWebIndex’s biannual report on

the latest trends in online commerce

FLAGSHIP REPORT 2018

www.globalwebindex.com
Contents Introduction

GlobalWebIndex Commerce presents GlobalWebIndex’s

Introduction 02
very latest figures for online commerce, consumer
behaviors, and engagement levels.
Key Insights 03
Among other topics, this report covers:
The State of Ecommerce 04
• The markets driving online commerce trends
Purchasing Habits by Category 08
• The role that different devices play in online purchasing
The Purchase Journey 12
• The changing dynamics of how people are paying
Trends in Ecommerce 17
for products

Notes on Methodology 20
• The potential and current impact of social commerce,
voice commerce, and New Retail
More from GlobalWebIndex 22
• Purchase behaviors by category

• Important touchpoints along the path to purchase

Key Insights

Mobile devices continue to Mobile payments are Social media is a go-to in Free delivery remains the
gain momentum across the gathering momentum on a the research and discovery primary purchase driver
purchase journey, but PC is global scale. stages of the purchase across all generations and
still in the picture. journey. markets.
More than 1 in 3 internet
Although consumers are users have made a payment Social networks are Financial incentives (e.g.
increasingly choosing mobile using their mobile phones. increasingly being used for rewards and discounts) and
over PC for researching and The rate of adoption of utilitarian purposes, coming consumer reviews rank as
buying products, the PC is mobile payments varies by to the fore in the purchase the second and third-most
still popular and relevant, market. There’s room for journey. In fact, younger prominent drivers in the
especially in the West – greater adoption in fast- consumers look to social last stage of the purchase
where online audiences are growth emerging markets, like media before search engines journey. Simplified return
somewhat older. The extent Kenya, as well as developed for information on products. processes are catching up
to which the devices overlap markets like South Korea and in some regions even
when it comes to online and Denmark, which have surpassing word-of-mouth
purchases suggests that the highest mobile payment endorsements.
brands need to adopt a multi- adoption in the world. Local
device perspective of the solutions are prevailing over
purchase journey. global players like PayPal.
Commerce

The State of Ecommerce

Flagship Report 2018

The State of Ecommerce
THE STATE 05
OF ECOMMERCE

PCs have traditionally been the default device The State of Ecommerce 76% had made a purchase within the past
for online commerce, as they’re seen to offer % of internet users aged 16-64 who have month, including 69% of those 55-64.
more protection for sensitive transactions and purchased a product online in the past month

were ubiquitous when online shopping first The main difference is regional, rather than
took off. The landscape has since shifted. At generational. In the Middle East and Africa,
a global level, for all stages of the purchase notably, we’re still seeing significantly lower
journey from researching, to buying through rates of online shopping. In MEA – Kenya,
to reviewing, the mobile is now the device Ghana, Nigeria, Morocco, Egypt, United
of choice. With online banking a mobile-first Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia – the
activity as well, the commerce landscape is proportion of internet users who’ve made
being shaped by the smaller screen. There’s purchases online drops to 54%. There have
a small generational gap, however. Internet been no major changes in this area during
users over the age of 45 still prefer larger 2018. It’s crept up slowly from 50% in Q2
screen devices, which is a major reason PCs 2017, but the difference is marginal.
and laptops have maintained their lead in
Europe and North America for commerce Despite the prevalence of mobile payment
actions. apps, these markets retain many cash-first
consumers who might explore products
The PC is not going away any time soon. online but tend to finalize offline. This might
And internet users aren’t exclusively Three-quarters of internet users be more due to the practical and logistical
committed to any one device type. If they challenges of online payments than a
buy products online
are buying on mobile, they are likely to buy reflection of a consumer preference: 44%
on PC as well, and vice versa. The large of internet users in MEA say that a cash-
overlap demonstrates how a multi-device More than 90% of internet users in every on-delivery option would motivate them to
approach is crucial throughout the entire demographic group have done some kind make a purchase online.
purchase journey, as consumers can check- of commercial activity during the past month,
out with either device regardless of where whether that’s researching products, making The top ecommerce markets are split evenly
their path began. Browsing for products recommendations, looking for inspiration. between Asian and Western markets, despite Question: In the past month,
and visiting retail stores websites are still Significant numbers visit online retailers their digital landscapes’ differences. The shift which of the following
things have you done on the
firmly multi-device activities, too. 3 in 4 like Amazon and Taobao consistently on to ecommerce can be seen across the world, internet on your PC/Laptop/
Mobile/Tablet?  Source:
internet users who have visited a retail store a monthly basis, ranging from 93% of but it’s driven by local and regional players GlobalWebIndex Q3 2018
via mobile have done so via PC as well. 25-34-year-olds to 83% of 55-64-year-olds. with no single platform yet dominating. Base: 113,932 Internet Users
aged 16-64
The Growth of Mobile Payments
THE STATE 06
OF ECOMMERCE

Mobiles aren’t just the most popular device for buying online Mobile Payments
globally, they’re also a preferred payment method in their own right % of internet users paying for an item / service with their mobile
and one which has helped grow ecommerce across the world. Use
of mobile payments has grown rapidly, from 26% of the online
population in 2016 to 37% in our latest wave of research.

Much of this growth has happened in countries where a lack of credit

card infrastructure has allowed challengers to leapfrog traditional
payment providers and claim a competitive position in that space,
like m-Pesa was able to do in its home market, Kenya.

While we have seen a significant increase in this behavior, some

barriers to growth have emerged as well. These may lie in consumer
concerns about fraud and data security, though this is a two-way
street, as mobile payments can allow for more personal security than
carrying cash. The ease and ubiquity of mobile payment systems, A market recently added to our dataset, Denmark, has replaced
where consumers crucially don’t have to be at home or in front of a South Korea as the market with the highest rate of online payment
computer to do minor payments and transfers, has addressed many adoption. Since its launch in 2013, Danske Bank’s MobilePay was
of those privacy concerns, which have historically been widespread able to skate into a leading position in the absence of competition,
whenever a new payment form is introduced. leveraging the power of the Danske Bank brand, an easy interface,
and the consumers’ preference for single solutions.

Although fast-growth markets currently take the lead for

Market leaders like Apple, Alibaba-owned Ant Financial, and
mobile payments, there is ripe opportunity in developed Samsung are looking to gain a foothold during the critical
markets, too. development periods where consumer habits become entrenched.
The investment resulting from this expansion is likely to drive uptake
Our data shows that mobile payments are spreading in mature in the coming years.
markets like Sweden, where 33% have used a mobile payments
service (Svipp) in the last month, and the UK (26%). Mobile points are growing strongly outside Question: Which of the following
have you done on your mobile

mobile-first markets, too phone in the past month?

Source: GlobalWebIndex
Q3 2018  Base: 211,023 (2016) /
370,051 (2017) / 335,611 (2018)
Internet Users aged 16-64
The Growth of Mobile Payments
THE STATE 07
OF ECOMMERCE

Top 5 countries for mobile payments and their most used services

But by looking at the market leaders in countries where mobile payments are used most often,
we can see that the dominant players are often domestic companies, not global ones. Local
providers are detached from global competition by regulatory, cultural and commercial
constraints. This has driven Ant Financial’s strategy of investing and leveraging in local
partners, including India’s top service PayTM, which they have a 40% stake in.

Denmark’s MobilePay is indicative of this trend, as well. Seeing the space for mobile payments
hadn’t been filled, DanskeBank acted unilaterally to roll out their service to all holders of a
Danish payment card and phone number, without the need to sign up. They quickly moved
into a dominating position in a way payment providers in other Western markets haven’t seen.

Unlike PayPal, for instance, it managed to be adopted for everything from parents’ allowance
transfers, to point-of-sales solutions in major retail chains. It’s achieved the kind of personal and
commercial ubiquity that industry watchers had mostly associated with developing markets.

Question: Which of these

services have you used
to pay for an item/service
using your phone?  Source:
GlobalWebIndex Q3 2018
Base: 113,932 Internet Users
aged 16-64
Commerce

Purchasing Habits by Category

Flagship Report 2018

Purchasing Habits by Category
PURCHASING HABITS 09
BY CATEGORY

Online Buying vs. Researching | Major purchases

% of internet users who do the following for top 10 products in last month

When it comes to online purchases, not

all product categories are made equal.
Certain categories lend themselves more
to buying online, whereas for others, using
online media as an information resource is
paramount.

Higher-priced products are researched

online more than they are bought, with cars
and domestic vacations at the top of the
list. Household furniture, for example, is
one major purchase category that has seen
more buying than researching online. Just
a third of those who have bought furniture
for the home have looked it up online
beforehand, compared to more than half for
other high-ticket purchases. Showrooming,
whereby consumers make online purchases Question: Which of these
products have you or your
after visiting retail sites, is part of the household purchased in the
explanation. last 3-6 months? Which of
these items did you purchase
online? Which of these items
did you research online before
purchasing? Which of these
items are you / your household
thinking about purchasing in
the next 3-6 months?
Source: GlobalWebIndex
Q3 2018  Base: 113,932
Internet Users aged 16-64
Purchasing Habits by Category
PURCHASING HABITS 10
BY CATEGORY

Online Buying vs. Researching | Minor purchases

% of internet users who do the following for top 10 products in last month

Cheaper items like packaged foods,

beauty products, and household supplies
are bought online more than they are
researched. With less online research for
these products, these categories may be
best placed for voice commerce, as they
best fit as-and-when buying, responding
promptly to consumer needs. Skin
treatments and flu medicines, on the other
hand, are researched at the same rate as
they are bought – they are more complex
products with somewhat higher stakes.

The big players in grocery retail are

competing to take advantage of this new
retail channel. By extending Amazon
Prime to Whole Foods, and selling Echo
devices in their stores, Amazon has shown
their ambition to integrate online and
offline platforms. Argos has followed up Question: Which of these
products have you or your
by launching voice shopping services on household purchased in the
last month? Which of these
Google Home smart speaker. As of 2018, items did you purchase online?
online and offline retail are still separate Which of these items did
you research online before
beasts, but the trend toward integration is purchasing??
Source: GlobalWebIndex
progressing. Q3 2018  Base: 113,932
Internet Users aged 16-64
Paid-For Digital Content
PURCHASING HABITS 11
BY CATEGORY

Despite fears that online piracy and file- But there’s still a gap between internet users Subscription Models Emerge
sharing would destroy digital content who use free streaming services and those in Entertainment
landscape, the rate of internet users who’ve who pay for them. Music and TV are seeing
bought some form of digital content has growth in the share of paying users, but
actually been growing – from 53% in 2016 there are other exceptions in this category
to 61% in 2018. There is strong regional worth highlighting. Few people are paying
variation, however – while 7 in 10 internet for news services, and ebooks, which were
users in APAC have bought digital content in the most popular form of bought digital
the past month, just 4 in 10 in Europe have. media four years ago. Since then, they have
followed a downward trend in popularity,
Looking at the global picture, we can see falling from 18% to 12% as of Q3 2018.
an ongoing trend whereby streaming is
increasingly surpassing downloads. More
internet users are paying for access to
42% of internet users would rather
content , such as YouTube movie rentals, sign up for membership of a product /
than instant downloads. service than pay extra to own it

47% of internet users say that they prefer to Netflix and Spotify have led the transition to
access music through streaming, compared ‘access-over-ownership’ subscription models,
to 25% who prefer to download and own it commanding 36% and 21% of internet users
outright. for their services, respectively. Their example
could herald disruption on sectors like the
This transition has already happened for films ride-hailing industry to the software or even
and TV, and while music downloads were still the travel/hotel industry. For instance, Uber is
ahead of music streaming in the first quarter about to a launch a subscription service while
of 2018, streaming has now caught up. We a start-up travel business BRB is preparing to
expect it to overtake music downloads soon, implement a Netflix-style subscription model
as constraints from mobile data plans and for holiday packages.
streaming speeds become less important. Question: Which of the
following types of online
content have you paid for in
the past month?
Source: GlobalWebIndex
Q3 2018  Base: 113,932
Internet Users aged 16-64
Commerce

The Purchase Journey

Flagship Report 2018

The Purchase Journey
THE PURCHASE JOURNEY 13

Brand Discovery In this quarter, search engines beat TV ads as the Product Research
most influential source of brand discovery for the
first time. However, there are some differences
when we look at consumers’ income more closely.
Ads seen on TV still ranks as the primary brand
discovery source for those in the bottom 25%
income bracket. More affluent consumers have
been more eager to explore new products through
search engines, overall. While a full 48% of the
online population has used an ad-blocker to stop
ads being displayed in the past month, online ads
are still cited as the third most widespread source
of brand discovery, outstripping other sources
for 31% of our respondents. App-based brand
discovery, vlogs, and expert/influencer posts are
widely discussed in the industry, but have so far
only proved to be most effective among younger
online consumers. 16-24-year-olds are 44% more
likely to discover brands through vlogs.

As we describe in our Social Media flagship

report, the way people use social media is
changing. Social behaviors are now less focused
on sharing personal information and more
purpose-driven, which has allowed social media
to come to the fore in the purchase journey. By Question: In which of the
following ways are you most
now, social networks emerge as the second-most likely to find out about new
Affluent users are more likely prominent channel for product research after brands, products, or services? //
Which of the following online
to discover brands through search engines. This is the research phase, after sources do you mainly use
when you are actively looking
search engines they’ve discovered the brand. Digital word of for more information about
brands, products, or services?
mouth is outstripping search on its own in some Source: GlobalWebIndex
of the most influential demographics. Q3 2018  Base: 113,932
Internet Users aged 16-64
Where Brands Meet Consumers
THE PURCHASE JOURNEY 14

Social platforms also provide important Taken together, 4 in 10 internet users have Brand Interactions
brand-consumer touchpoints. 37% of either downloaded a branded app, played
internet users follow their favorite brands a branded game or scanned a brand’s
on social media, with 25% following brands QR code in the past month. APAC has the
they are thinking of buying something from. highest share of consumers (45%), but 48%
of 16-24-year-olds globally fall into that
15% of internet users say they want their category of ‘interacting consumers’.
favorite brands to make them feel cool or
trendy, which helps explain why similar We discuss later how developments in AR
percentages are sharing branded content (augmented reality) and location-based apps
with their friends on social media or can facilitate New Retail, but those technologies
uploading their own content to a brand’s can play a role in engaging consumers earlier in
page, showing that brand interactions are the path to purchase as well.
becoming more natural to those who are
inherently interested in brands. With all this in mind, social commerce should
be treated with caution with a strategy that
1 in 10 internet users interact with brands on goes beyond implementing “buy” buttons on
messaging apps, showing the importance of posts, and considering content’s role earlier
convenience and immediacy in social brand- in the purchase journey.
consumer relationships, and indicating the
growing potential for chatbots. Instagram, in particular, has been closely
looking at how to incorporate the purchase
Visiting branded websites remains much journey within its platform, but there are still
more popular than visiting a brand’s social old habits that will need to change before
media page, though – even among younger brands can complete the bridge between (Discovery), descriptions (Research), ticket
demographics that are often assumed to be research and purchase on social media. sales (Purchase) and sharing (Advocacy), are
social media-first. Maintaining a strong social At present, only 11% of internet users say an exception – and these work well because
media presence is a prerequisite to reach that a social “buy” button would drive them of the inherently social nature of attending
consumers who follow and research brands to buy something online. There’s not yet events and concerts. There is less of a natural
Question: Which of the
on social media, but traditional content and a closed purchase journey loop in many social connection to buying ordinary goods following actions have you
done online in the past month?
SEO strategies are still more important in social environments. Facebook’s event and services via social media, which robust Source: GlobalWebIndex
most cases. system, which integrates events suggestions branded content and inspiration can change. Q3 2018  Base: 113,932
Internet Users aged 16-64
Purchase Drivers & Reviews
THE PURCHASE JOURNEY 15

So when consumers are on the path to purchase, what’s needed to Purchase Drivers
convert them into purchasers? Above all, free delivery is the primary
purchase driver. Across all age breaks, and in every single country
we track, internet users say that having free delivery would motivate
them the most to buy a product online. Internet users would much
rather have a product delivered for free than on the next day.

In general, most markets share the same pattern in priorities for

online buying, where free delivery is followed by financial incentives
like coupons, and then by peer endorsements.

Easy returns are catching up with customer reviews, even supplanting

them in MEA and North America. The lack of credit card infrastructure
in MEA means that providing a cash on delivery option here ranks as
the second most important feature (47%).

Globally, 45% of internet users post a review of a product or brand

each month. The number of people leaving reviews outweighs those
who use review sites in their product research (36%).

If you account for those who discover brands through review sites,
57% of the online population interact with reviews in some way
during the purchase journey. To encourage these reviews, financial
incentives (43%) and appreciation for the products (48%) are
paramount in encouraging advocacy. They carry significant weight
across all of the major demographic and regional breaks.

But brands should appeal to other needs alongside these core Internet users would rather have
endorsement motivations to target specific groups. Age is one of the something delivered for free within Question: When shopping
online, which of these features
most obvious dividing lines, with a person’s life stage being a key a longer delivery window, than pay would most increase your
likelihood of buying a product?
indicator of what these “wants” may be. for next day delivery Source: GlobalWebIndex
Q3 2018  Base: 113,932
Internet Users aged 16-64
Purchase Drivers & Reviews
THE PURCHASE JOURNEY 16

Brand Advocacy

1 in 5 16-24-year-olds want brands

to make them feel cool/trendy,
while 3 in 10 55-64-year-olds want
to feel like a valued customer

Entertainment and social status are

highlights in brand advocacy motivations
of younger users. Consumers aged 16-24
are much more likely to want their favorite
brands to make them feel cool, connect
them with other fans of the brand, and
provide entertaining content.

55-64-year-old users, on the other hand,

tend to value the more traditional factors
of quality and customer service. Many
consumers of this age place a premium
on convenience when engaging with
their favorite brands, and also display a
conscientious mindset, wanting brands
to use locally-sourced and eco-friendly
materials in their products.

Question: What would most

motivate you to promote your
favorite brand online?
Source: GlobalWebIndex
Q3 2018  Base: 113,932
Internet Users aged 16-64
Commerce

Trends in Ecommerce

Flagship Report 2018

Trends in Ecommerce
FUTURE TRENDS 18
IN ECOMMERCE

Developments in Ecommerce: New Retail

Jack Ma, CEO of Alibaba, coined the term “New Retail” to The QR code is part of the online fabric in South East Asia (the
describe a commerce future where online, offline, data and majority of internet users in Hong Kong and Taiwan use them),
logistics were integrated together, with the help of pioneering though it has had a surprising comeback worldwide, with more
tech like location data and augmented reality (AR). These internet users scanning them now than did when they were at
technologies have the potential to not only revolutionize the their seeming peak in 2014.
buying experience but also offer retailers valuable consumer
insight to help them tailor their services to individual needs.
1 in 5 internet users in the UK and
Some of these technologies have more traction than others. 1 in 4 in the U. S. have scanned a QR code
Location-based services (such as Foursquare or Yelp) and AR on their phone in the last month
Question: Thinking about
are currently still niche phenomena. This is partly because mobile / tablet apps, which of
developer kits for AR are still emerging. With Apple and Google This is true in the West as well. Part of the reason for this is the following categories have
you used in the past month?
expected to release new immersive AR apps and experiences, that while the technology has stayed the same, the identities / Location-based services/
Augmented reality // Which of
we could expect the boost in available content to increase are different, with QR codes forming a part of interactions on the following have you done
adoption, too. There may also be a lack of consumer awareness Snapchat, Facebook Messenger and Spotify, but under different on your mobile phone in the
past month? / Used a QR code
that the handsets and apps they own will allow them to use AR. names. Source: GlobalWebIndex
Q3 2018  Base: 113,932
Internet Users aged 16-64
Disruption via Voice Tech
FUTURE TRENDS 19
IN ECOMMERCE

Developments in Ecommerce: Voice New Retail may be in its infancy around the With the driving force of deep-pocketed
world, but voice technology, considered companies like Amazon and Alibaba looking
one of the keystones of new technology, is to penetrate the grocery market, and having
becoming more widely adopted. 20% of their Echo and Genie hardware to draw
internet users currently use a smart assistant, upon, it may be that staples own the biggest
and a further 36% are planning to buy one, disruption in the near future.
up from 15% and 34% last year (Q3 2017).
As we describe in our Voice report, there is a Privacy concerns could stand in the way
considerable user base for the technology on of some of these developments, though.
mobiles too, offering another path to unlock Consumers are becoming increasingly
voice commerce. aware of their digital footprints, and many
may take issue with companies gaining
Smart assistant users are no longer just access to sensitive personal information,
early adopters, and fit a demographic of such as a user’s location in real-time, not to
consumers who can bring it into their family mention that many smart assistants have
shopping behavior. Their average user is “active listening” enabled by default.
aged 32, has children, and 65% of them have
the main responsibility for food shopping. With over half of internet users deleting
cookies, 49% using private browsing
As we saw earlier, household products are windows and 48% using ad-blockers,
the category where online purchases most companies have to deal sensitively with
outstrip online research, which suggests privacy-conscious users to develop and
Household and grocery
that there could be consumer desire for the maintain trust on smart devices that use voice
shopping could be in line kind of quick, frictionless buying that voice technology.
for the biggest disruption commerce can excel at.

Question: Which of these

products do you currently use
at home? // In the past month,
which of the following things
have you done on the internet
via mobile? / Used voice search
or voice command tools
Source: GlobalWebIndex
Q3 2018  Base: 113,932
Internet Users aged 16-64
Notes on Methodology 20

All figures in this report are drawn OUR QUOTAS MOBILE SURVEY RESPONDENTS GLOBALWEBINDEX SAMPLE SIZE BY MARKET
from GlobalWebIndex’s online
To ensure that our research is From Q1 2017 on, GlobalWebIndex This report draws insights from GlobalWebIndex’s Q3 2018 wave of research
research among internet users aged
reflective of the online population has offered our Core survey on across 44 countries, which had a global sample size of 113,992 (with 93,803
16-64. Please note that we only
in each market, we set appropriate mobile. This allows us to survey surveys completed on PC/laptop/tablet and 20,129 surveys completed on
interview respondents aged 16-64
quotas on age, gender, and internet users who prefer using a mobile). The sample by market breaks down as follows:
and our figures are representative
education – meaning that we mobile or are mobile-only (who use
of the online populations of each
interview representative numbers of a mobile to get online but do not Argentina 1,573 Morocco 1,000
market, not its total population.
men vs women, of 16-24s, 25-34s, 35- use or own any other device). Mobile
Australia 2,346 Netherlands 1,276
44s, 45-54s and 55-64s, and of people respondents complete a shorter
Austria 1,303 New Zealand 1,287
OUR RESEARCH with secondary vs tertiary education. version of our Core survey, answering
50 questions, all carefully adapted to Belgium 1,276 Nigeria 1,000
Each year, GlobalWebIndex
To do this, we conduct research across be compatible with mobile screens. Brazil 2,381 Philippines 1,508
interviews over 440,000 internet
a range of international and national Canada 2,321 Poland 1,856
users aged 16-64. Respondents
sources, including the World Bank, Please note that the sample sizes
complete an online questionnaire China 15,921 Portugal 1,297
the ITU, the International Labour presented in the charts throughout
that asks them a wide range of Colombia 1,323 Russia 2,287
Organization, the CIA Factbook, this report may differ as some will
questions about their lives, lifestyles
Eurostat, the US Bureau of Labor include both mobile and PC/laptop/ Demark 1,293 Saudi Arabia 1,505
and digital behaviors. We source
Statistics as well as a range of national tablet respondents and others will Egypt 1,754 Singapore 2,563
these respondents in partnership
statistics sources, government include only respondents who France 3,292 South Africa 1,547
with a number of industry-leading
departments and other credible and completed GWI’s Core survey via PC/
panel providers. Each respondent Germany 2,889 South Korea 1,289
robust third-party sources. laptop/tablet. For more details on
who takes a GWI survey is assigned Ghana 1,000 Spain 2,881
our methodology for mobile surveys
a unique and persistent identifier
This research is also used to calculate and the questions asked to mobile Hong Kong 1,889 Sweden 1,287
regardless of the site/panel to which
the ‘weight’ of each respondent; respondents, please download this India 4,157 Switzerland 1,286
they belong and no respondent can
that is, approximately how many document.
participate in our survey more than Indonesia 1,773 Taiwan 1,830
people (of the same gender, age,
once a year (with the exception of Ireland 1,264 Thailand 1,562
and educational attainment) are
internet users in Egypt, Saudi Arabia,
Italy 2,870 Turkey 1,610
represented by their responses.
and the UAE, where respondents are
Japan 1,731 UAE 1,784
allowed to complete the survey at
6-month intervals). Kenya 1,000 UK 7,869

Malaysia 1,575 USA 16,125

Mexico 2,667 Vietnam 1,612

Notes on Methodology: Internet Penetration Rates 21

ACROSS GLOBALWEBINDEX’S MARKETS Internet Penetration Rates

ITU Internet Penetration Metric 2018
GlobalWebIndex’s research focuses exclusively This table provides GlobalWebIndex forecasts
on the internet population and because on internet penetration (defined as the
Argentina 77.1% Ireland 84.0% Saudi Arabia 81.3%
internet penetration rates can vary significantly number of internet users per 100 people) in
Australia 90.4% Italy 62.1% Singapore 84.2%
between countries (from a high of 90%+ in parts 2018. This forecasted data is based upon the
of Europe to lows of c.20% in parts of APAC), the latest internet penetration estimates from the Austria 86.3% Japan 95.8% South Africa 60.9%
nature of our samples is impacted accordingly. International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Belgium 89.0% Kenya 37.9% South Korea 94.5%
for each market that GlobalWebIndex conducts
Brazil 65.9% Malaysia 81.3% Spain 85.2%
Where a market has a high internet online research in.
penetration rate, its online population will be Canada 92.3% Mexico 69.5% Sweden 89.0%
relatively similar to its total population and GLOBALWEBINDEX VERSUS ITU FIGURES
China 58.4% Morocco 59.4% Switzerland 90.6%
hence we will see good representation across
As GlobalWebIndex’s Core Research is Colombia 62.3% Netherlands 90.4% Taiwan 81.1%
all age, gender and education breaks. This is
conducted among 16-64 year-olds, we
typically the case across North America, Western Denmark 98.3% New Zealand 91.6% Thailand 57.8%
supplement the internet penetration forecasts
Europe and parts of Asia Pacific such as Japan,
for a country’s total population (reproduced Egypt 45.2% Nigeria 32.5% Turkey 64.2%
Australia and New Zealand. Where a market
above) with internet penetration forecasts for France 87.5% Norway 98.1% UAE 93.4%
has a medium to low internet penetration, its
16-64s specifically.
online population can be very different to its Germany 91.9% Philippines 60.8% UK 96.1%
total population; broadly speaking, the lower
Ghana 45.6% Poland 76.6% USA 79.0%
the country’s overall internet penetration rate, Forecasts for 16-64s will be higher than our

the more likely it is that its internet users will forecasts for total population, since 16-64s Hong Kong 91.8% Portugal 75.1% Vietnam 51.2%

be young, urban, affluent and educated. This is are the most likely age groups to be using the
India 40.1% Romania 65.9%
the case throughout much of LatAm, MEA and internet.
Indonesia 32.7% Russia 81.3%
Asia Pacific.
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 Nisa Bayindir Viktoriya Trifonova
Director of Global Insights Insights Analyst & Writer

[email protected] [email protected]

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