From: Nua Internet Surveys [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, October 23, 2000 5:08 PM
To: Recipients of surveys mailing list
Subject: Nua Internet Surveys: October 23, 2000
********************************************************************
NUA INTERNET SURVEYS - The Number One Resource for Statistics
Free Weekly Email For Latest Information & Trends on the Internet.
Email: [log in to unmask] Web: http://www.nua.ie/surveys/
********************************************************************
October 23rd 2000 Published By: Nua Limited Volume 5 No. 41
********************************************************************
CONTENT
********************************************************************
EDITORIAL:
"The digital divide is dead. Long
live the digital divide. That was
the message from this week's batch
of surveys and reports."
Kathy Foley in 'Divided we fall?'
ACCESS DEVICES
:Japanese mobile phone subscriptions top 55 million
BROWSERS
:Websites still too big
CUSTOMER SERVICE
:Pricing error may prove costly for Egghead.com
DEMOGRAPHICS
:Internet now a tool of the masses
:US digital divide narrows
E-COMMERCE
:Etailers to lose billions over holiday season
:Gloomy outlook for Hong Kong B2C
:Broadband to increase online spending
FINANCIAL SERVICES
:Clicks and mortar banking not popular
:Online banking booms in Germany
GOV/LEG
:Egovernment may threaten private companies
:Websites not influencing voters
IT/COMPUTER INDUSTRY
:Ageism rife in IT industry
:Big firms will boost IT job spend
PRIVACY
:US public concerned over government-held data
********************************************************************
ADVERTISEMENT: NUA PUBLISH
http://www.nua.com/nuapublish
********************************************************************
SOLVE INFORMATION OVERLOAD
Nua Publish is an enterprise web-publishing solution tailored
for the investment research marketplace. It's a simple,
intuitive way to publish information on the Web for maximum
impact and exposure. To see how Nua Publish can help your
company, check out: http://www.nua.com/nuapublish
Or Contact: mailto:[log in to unmask]
********************************************************************
EDITORIAL
http://www.nua.ie/surveys/analysis/weekly_editorial/archives/issue1no149.htm
l
********************************************************************
The digital divide is dead. Long live the digital divide. That was
the message from this week's batch of surveys and reports. Studies
from the US Department of Commerce and the Yankee Group indicated
that in the United States the gap between the digital haves and
have-nots is closing. Somewhat confusingly, a Gartner report
proclaimed that the US actually suffers three digital divides.
Meanwhile, delegates at a World Resources Institute conference in
Seattle discussed how to make money from the huge and undeveloped
markets of the Third World while 'helping' to close the global
digital divide.
All three US studies were based on similar sets of data but while
the Government guys and the Yankee analysts were pretty optimistic,
the people at Gartner seemed to be having a 'glass half-empty' day
when they put together their report.
The Department of Commerce report found that half of US households
now have a computer, while over 40 percent have Internet access.
The gender gap has disappeared and Internet use among all
disadvantaged groups is increasing rapidly. Minorities and people
on lower incomes are, however, still less likely to have Internet
access than more privileged groups.
For the full story, go to:
http://www.nua.ie/surveys/analysis/weekly_editorial/archives/issue1no149.htm
l
For archives of editorials, go to:
http://www.nua.ie/surveys/analysis/weekly_editorial/archives/index.html
********************************************************************
DIGESTS START HERE
********************************************************************
ACCESS DEVICES
Archives: http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=FS&cat_id=26
********************************************************************
Newsbytes: Japanese mobile phone subscriptions top 55 million
Subscriptions to mobile phone services in Japan passed the 55 million
mark in August, according to Japan's Ministry of Posts and
Telecommunications.
This figure, which represents a 20.7 percent increase from August 1999,
does not take into account over five million subscribers to Japan's
personal handyphone system (PHS).
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) launched Japan's first
mobile phone service in 1984. By 1996, over 10 million mobile phones
were in use in Japan. This figure increased to 30 million the following
year.
However, since then, growth has slowed down. Subscriptions to PHS,
which peaked in 1998, have also leveled, while pager subscriptions are
down from 10 million in 1996 to a current figure of 1.6 million.
One area of the mobile phone industry enjoying massive growth is the
wireless Internet sector. The market leader, NTT DoCoMo's i-mode
service, has a customer-base of over 10 million.
<http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/156691.html>
********************************************************************
BROWSERS
Archives: http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=FS&cat_id=5
********************************************************************
ZDNet: Websites still too big
While web pages have decreased in size over the past few years, the
average website is still much larger than it should be.
A recent study of 150 websites by Byte Level Research calculated the
median weight (the average number of kilobytes of data on a homepage)
at 89KB. Byte Level says the optimum median weight is 60KB.
The report points to Yahoo.com (37 KB) and Lycos.com (30 KB) as sites
that others should compare themselves with.
As a group, online traders had the lightest web pages of those
surveyed, with an average of 54KB. Search engines followed this, at
57KB. Google.com came out ahead of all 150 websites, with a median
weight of just 12KB.
Graphics-heavy catalog sites were at the bottom of the rankings, with
JCPenney.com weighing in at 451KB, followed by Spiegel.com (216KB) and
VictoriasSecret.com (173KB).
Studies show that long download times can adversely affect website
traffic. Zona Research estimates that businesses lose USD362 million
per month because visitors won't wait for heavy pages to load.
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2640862,00.html>
********************************************************************
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Archives: http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=FS&cat_id=47
********************************************************************
CNET: Pricing error may prove costly for Egghead.com
Customers of online retailer Egghead.com are considering legal action
after the company canceled orders for a mistakenly priced product.
A computer memory module with a normal price of USD335 was listed on
the Egghead site at USD34.85. When the company noticed the pricing
error, it canceled the thousands of orders it had already received.
While this is not the first time etailers have posted incorrect prices
on their websites, customers are angry at the way Egghead dealt with
the problem. A few customers received gift certificates of USD50, but
the company said they had not made a decision to compensate every
person who complained about the mistake.
Egghead claimed that their site clearly informs customers that it has
the right to cancel orders if pricing errors occur.
While Egghead is confident that its policies cover pricing mistakes,
the company would be wise to take threats of legal action seriously. A
class-action lawsuit over a mistakenly priced PC monitor recently cost
buy.com USD575,000.
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-3221044.html?
tag=st.ne.ron.lthd.ni>
********************************************************************
DEMOGRAPHICS
Archives: http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=FS&cat_id=18
********************************************************************
Yankee Group: Internet now a tool of the masses
With the online consumer population changing fast, the average Web user
is more likely to be a suburban housewife than a technology aficionado.
According to a new survey by the Yankee Group, 33 percent of online US
households have had access for less than a year. Of these new home
users, 60 percent are women, and many earn average or below-average
incomes.
Lower costs for PCs and free Internet access are helping to narrow the
digital divide in terms of income. The survey found that 47 percent of
new Internet users had free Internet accounts.
For many US households, the Internet has become as much a part of daily
life as television. Of those surveyed, 87 percent log on from home at
least once a day.
According to the Yankee Group, the results of the survey show that the
Internet is beginning to reach the mass consumer market in the US.
Other findings of the survey show that Internet surfing may be a thing
of the past-only 3 percent of respondents always use random online
sources, while over half use the same sources at home and at work
Email was the top online activity for 68 percent of those polled, with
education and learning taking second place.
<http://www.yankeegroup.com/webfolder/yg21a.nsf/press/D3582D369EFDE9F985
25697A0044E01E?OpenDocument>
__________________________________________________________________
US Department of Commerce: US digital divide narrows
More Americans are using computers and the Internet than ever before,
according to a new report by the US Department of Commerce.
Half of US households now have a computer, while 41.5 percent have
Internet access, up 15 percent from last year. The report puts the US
online population at 116.5 million.
The findings of the reports show that President Clinton's aim of
bridging the digital divide is meeting with some success.
Internet access among rural households has risen by 75 percent in the
past two years, and the number of black and Hispanic people connected
to the Web has increased significantly. The age divide also seems to be
gradually narrowing-of all age groups surveyed, Americans of 50 years
and older experienced the highest rate of growth in Internet use.
However, a disparity in Internet use still exists between able-bodied
people and the disabled. The survey revealed that 28.4 percent of
disabled people have Internet access, half the rate of those without a
disability. People with visual impairment and problems using their
hands are even less likely to use the Internet.
Other findings of the report show that almost twice as many two-parent
households have Internet access as single-parent households, while
rural areas are falling behind cities in terms of broadband
penetration.
<http://osecnt13.osec.doc.gov/public.nsf/docs/fttn-tdi-executive-
summary>
********************************************************************
E-COMMERCE
Archive: http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=FS&cat_id=14
********************************************************************
E-Commerce Times: Etailers to lose billions over holiday season
Almost half of all consumers trying to purchase online this Christmas
will leave websites without placing an order, according to a new
report.
Creative Good, which based its report on eight major ecommerce sites,
warned online retailers that they stand to lose up to USD14.7 billion
this holiday season unless improvements are made to the online shopping
experience.
The survey showed that 43 percent of shoppers visit etailers' sites
intending to buy, but end up leaving without purchasing an item or
contacting customer service. Reasons for abandoning the purchasing
process included slow-loading pages, difficulty in finding products,
and limits on the quantity of each item that could be ordered.
Problems with the checkout process accounted for over 40 percent of
failed purchases. According to the report, shoppers dropped out at this
stage because of confusion over separate paths for new and returning
customers, difficulties creating accounts, and inefficient error
messages.
Creative Good calculated potential losses based on the Gartner Group's
online holiday sales prediction of USD19.5 billion. However, other
research firms have estimated that the holiday ecommerce market is
worth less. The Yankee Group expects sales of USD9 billion in the
fourth quarter of this year, while Jupiter Communications predicts that
USD11.6 billion will be spent online over the holiday season.
On a related note, a recent study by Active Research revealed that
taxing ecommerce purchases would deter the majority of Americans from
shopping online. Of those surveyed, 66 percent said they would buy less
online if their purchases were taxed.
<http://www.ecommercetimes.com/news/articles2000/001017-1.shtml>
__________________________________________________________________
eMarketer: Gloomy outlook for Hong Kong B2C
The overall figures for Hong Kong's ecommerce industry look promising,
but online retailers in the region are performing badly.
Hong Kong's estimated 1.2 million Internet users will spend USD601
million online this year, according to eMarketer. However, only 10
percent of this total will be spent in the b2c sector.
A recent survey by Taylor Nelson Sofres found that the most popular
retail products bought online in Hong Kong were groceries and books, at
32 percent and 29 percent respectively. CDs and clothing ranked much
lower on the list of goods purchased by Net users in the region.
The survey also revealed that a high proportion of online shoppers in
Hong Kong visit ecommerce sites intending to buy, but leave without
placing an order.
eMarketer puts the relatively low amount of b2c transactions down to
Hong Kong's demographic and cultural make-up.
In the urban, densely populated environment of Hong Kong, retail shops
are within easy reach of most web users, so the convenience of web
shopping is not a factor. eMarketer believes grocery shopping is more
popular online because it is seen as a chore.
However, the outlook for Hong Kong's b2c sector is not all doom and
gloom. With gambling and bargain-hunting part of the national psyche,
eMarketer described Hong Kong as a lucrative market for online
brokerage firms and auction sites.
<http://www.emarketer.com/etopics/articles/20001019_b2c_hk.html?ref=dn>
__________________________________________________________________
Gartner Group: Broadband to increase online spending
Net users with broadband access will spend far more online than those
with dial-up modems, according to the Gartner Group.
By 2006, 25 percent of households will spend over USD10,000 each
online. According to Gartner, three-quarters of those big-spending
consumers will have broadband access.
There are a number of reasons why Net users with broadband connections
will spend more on the Internet.
Broadband delivers 'always on' access to the Internet, allowing
consumers to enter shopping sites immediately. With the greater
bandwidth provided by broadband, users will enjoy quicker response
times and spend less time waiting in ecommerce sites. Broadband will
also enable consumers to fully appreciate user-friendly interfaces and
customized sites, which often require a higher level of bandwidth.
Gartner's findings on the purchasing power of broadband-enabled
customers will be welcomed by telecommunications company AT&T. The
company plans to charge a fee for each customer it delivers via
broadband to shopping sites.
<http://www.gartner.com/public/static/aboutgg/pressrel/pr20001017a.html>
********************************************************************
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Archives: http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=FS&cat_id=4
********************************************************************
Sunday Times: Clicks and mortar banking not popular
Weak incentives and poor customer service are turning consumers off
Internet banking, according to a new survey by Cap Gemini Ernst &
Young.
One-third of banks in Europe and half in America are not offering
proper incentives to encourage customers to bank online.
In addition to better incentives, the survey stressed the need for
customer service improvements in electronic banking. In Europe, only
half of customer emails are answered within eight hours. The report
also says that 30 percent of firms in Europe and 40 percent in America
give customers inconsistent information through different delivery
channels.
Despite the problems of Internet banking, the survey predicts that 17
percent of transactions will be conducted online by 2003.
However, while online banking is on the increase, it is not expected to
replace bricks and mortar branches. Almost half of the Web users
surveyed said they would be more inclined to trust a firm with a
physical presence.
In Ireland, a survey of Irish banks by the Sunday Times revealed that
only three-Allied Irish Bank (AIB), Bank of Ireland, and Ulster Bank-
provide Internet banking services. Of those, AIB and Ulster Bank offer
cheaper rates for online transactions, while Bank of Ireland does not
differentiate.
AIB said that 8 percent of its customers use Internet banking, while
Bank of Ireland claimed 50,000 of their 750,000 customers conduct
transactions online.
<http://www.sunday-
times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2000/10/15/stimoimoi01006.html>
__________________________________________________________________
silicon.com: Online banking booms in Germany
Over 40 percent of Germany's Internet population operate an online bank
account, according to the Federal Association of German Banks.
A survey conducted by the association revealed that the number of
Germans banking online has risen from 1.4 million five years ago to 10
million today. The association said this figure could double within the
next few years.
The findings of the survey put Germany well ahead of France (2 percent)
and the US (18 percent) in terms of online banking.
According to the association's poll, 86 percent of German web users are
confident that online bank transactions are safe, with only 2 percent
expressing security concerns.
While the figures for German online banking look encouraging, the
association did not mention the methodology it used for its survey.
<http://www.silicon.com/bin/bladerunner?
30REQEVENT=&REQAUTH=21046&14001REQSUB=REQINT1=40301>
********************************************************************
GOV/LEG
Archives: http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=FS&cat_id=19
********************************************************************
E-Commerce Times: Egovernment may threaten private companies
The US Government's recent Internet initiatives may be taking business
away from private ecommerce companies, according to a report by the
Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA).
While the report acknowledged that egovernment initiatives have
improved the quality of service provided by the Government, it
recommended that Government departments take substantial caution before
entering markets where private firms are already operating.
US Government policy forbids government entities from competing with
private businesses. The CCIA report saw the US Postal Service as one
Government agency contravening the policy.
The Postal Service launched its eBillPay service in April, after
predictions that it stood to lose USD16 million annually through
private online bill payment services.
While the Government claims the market is large enough for the Postal
Service and private businesses, the CCIA said the Postal Service, with
its resources and recognition, would quickly overwhelm fledgling
companies.
The CCIA also looked into the Web-based activities of the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS). Industry analysts believe the IRS is planning to
offer fee-based online tax preparation in the near future. The report
said that the IRS' role as a tax enforcer may give it an unfair
advantage over private companies in the tax preparation business.
<http://www.ecommercetimes.com/news/articles2000/001013-1.shtml>
__________________________________________________________________
Newsbytes: Websites not influencing voters
Campaign websites for the upcoming US presidential election are not
attracting undecided voters, according to a recent Jupiter Media Metrix
survey.
Approximately 80 percent of Internet users in the survey who visited
campaign websites had already decided how they were going to vote in
the election.
While the survey results highlight the success of campaign websites in
consolidating partisan support, Media Metrix said the sites have not
made an effort to entice undecided voters. A spokesman for the research
firm said that in future, political parties should develop aggressive
online campaigns to steer web users to campaign sites.
The US online population represents a large proportion of the voting
public. According to a Media Metrix survey released last week, 88
percent of US web users over the age of 18 plan to vote in the next
election.
With the two main candidates almost tied in the polls, Republicans and
Democrats are looking at other ways of using the Internet to gain
advantages. According to an article in Slate this week, both parties
are using email to ensure that supporters get out and vote on Election
Day.
The Democrats plan to send weekly emails to voluntary 'e-leaders,' who
agree to pass them on to at least 10 undecided voters they know. The
Republicans are implementing a similar system, asking 'e-champions' to
forward emails to as many friends as possible.
Independent organizations are also turning to email as a cheap and fast
alternative to direct mail.
While there are numerous advantages to using email as a campaign tool,
it has its drawbacks. Emails are easy to delete, and some Internet
users may regard political email as nothing more than spam.
<http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/156834.html>
********************************************************************
IT/COMPUTER INDUSTRY
Archives: http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=FS&cat_id=12
********************************************************************
silicon.com: Ageism rife in IT industry
Despite massive skills shortages in the IT industry, UK companies are
reluctant to hire older workers, according to a recent survey by
silicon.com.
While 65 percent of IT companies are finding it difficult to recruit or
retain staff, 37 percent of those surveyed admitted they took age into
account when recruiting employees.
The survey also revealed that two-thirds of IT professionals are
concerned about getting full time employment after the age of 45.
The UK Government's Code of Practice on Age Diversity, which was
released this year to combat age discrimination, seems to have fallen
on deaf ears in the IT industry. Of those polled, only 28 percent were
aware of the new legislation. Four out of five people believed the
government should do more to prevent ageism.
Respondents to the survey had disparate views on what constitutes
an 'older' employee. Over a fifth (21 percent) believed that anyone
over the age of 35 is an older worker, while a quarter defined
employees in the 40-45 age group as older workers.
<http://www.silicon.com/public/door?
REQUNIQ=971688150&6004REQEVENT=&REQINT1=40248&REQSTR1=newsnow>
__________________________________________________________________
ZDNet: Big firms will boost IT job spend
Large firms will fuel the growth in IT jobs over the next 4 years,
according to a new report by Cahners In-Stat Group.
IT spending among companies with over 1,000 employees is set to
increase by 8 percent a year through 2004. Mid-sized firms (100-999
employees) will increase annual spending on IT jobs by 3 percent, while
small companies (5-99 employees) will spend 1 percent more each year.
According to Cahners In-Stat, larger firms will spend more because they
are less likely to outsource IT operations and tend to invest heavily
in internal infrastructures.
However, big companies are expected to outsource non-strategic
functions such as help-desk support and remote office administration.
In the future, the IT workforce of large companies will consist mainly
of senior and highly skilled personnel.
IT employment will not increase significantly among mid-sized
companies, with pay rises accounting for the 3 percent annual spending
rise. As the IT skills shortage increases, many of these companies will
outsource data center and ecommerce services.
The report reveals that small businesses will also outsource more of
their IT operations over the next four years, spending USD12.3 billion
on consultants by 2004, up from USD10.3 billion this year.
Price-sensitive small office/home office businesses (1-4 employees),
will cut back on IT spending by 1 percent a year, relying on third-
party applications instead of proprietary systems.
<http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0,10738,2641836,00.html>
********************************************************************
PRIVACY
Archives: http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=FS&cat_id=37
********************************************************************
Information Technology Association of America: US public concerned over
government-held data
Over 80 percent of Americans are worried that data held by the
Government could be misused, according to a survey by the Information
Technology Association of America (ITAA).
Because of such fears, over 63 percent of people are reluctant to give
personal information to Government agencies.
When it comes to data protection, Americans seem to have more faith in
private companies-twice as many respondents felt that business does a
better job of protecting information than the Government.
The ITAA said the recent spate of high-profile computer crimes has
added to the public's anxiety over Government computer security. Over
half (51 percent) of the survey's respondents were more concerned about
the issue of computer security as a result of the recent security
lapses at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
The survey also showed that most Americans are worried about the
security of digital signatures, despite new legislation which allows
their use in electronic documents. Of those surveyed, 72 percent said
they would not feel safe using digital signatures for legal documents.
The digital signature bill, which came into power at the start of
October, has come under fire from security experts, who say the
decision not to prescribe specific technologies may leave the bill open
to abuse.
<http://www.itaa.org/news/pr/PressRelease.cfm?ReleaseID=971728539>
********************************************************************
WHAT IS NUA?
Nua specializes in the delivery of web publishing solutions. Nua is
itself
a successful online publisher, with free newsletters such as Nua
Internet
Surveys and Nua Knowledge News, reaching over 250,000 readers
worldwide each week.
<http://www.nua.com>
<http://www.local.ie>
<http://www.nuapublish.com>
<http://www.nua.com/nuathinking.html>
<http://www.nuaknowledgenews.com>
SUBSCRIBING TO INTERNET SURVEYS
To subscribe to Nua Internet Surveys, send an email to
<mailto:[log in to unmask]> with the word "SUBSCRIBE" in the
body of the message. An automatic acknowledgment should be returned to
you by email within a few minutes. Alternatively you can use the
automatic subscribe function at:
<http://www.nua.ie/surveys/subscribe.html>
UNSUBSCRIBING
To unsubscribe to Nua Internet Surveys, send an email to
<mailto:[log in to unmask]> with the word "UNSUBSCRIBE" in
the body of the message. An automatic acknowledgment should be returned
to you by email within a few minutes. Alternatively you can use the
automatic unsubscribe function at:
<http://www.nua.ie/surveys/subscribe.html>
TECHNICAL PROBLEMS
If you are having any technical problems, please email
<mailto:[log in to unmask]> with Technical Problems in the subject line.
__________________________________________________________________
This newsletter is copyright 1996 - 2000 Nua Ltd. Permission is given
to reproduce this newsletter in any format pending full recognition
of Nua Ltd. Nua do not accept responsibility for the accuracy of
information contained in this newsletter. The content has been
obtained from sources Nua Ltd. deems reliable.
__________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
nua: profit from knowledge
dublin | t: +353 1 206 6815 | f: +353 1 283 9988
merrion house, merrion road, dublin 4, ireland
new york | t: +212 358 1775 | f: +212 358 1760
475 park ave south, 6th floor, nyc, ny 10003, usa
http://www.nua.com/surveys
_____________________________________________________
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|
