DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IN
THE MODERN AGE
How Consumers Engage with New Technologies

ACCESS TO THE INTERNET
 The Internet Age began in the 1960s as a means for government to
share information
 Computers in the 1950’s & 60’s were bulky, expensive and in short
supply. They were mainly used by Military, Government and
Universities.
 Today the Internet is widely available for the vast majority of the worlds
population to access.
 Improvements in infrastructure
 Computers have become less expensive
 Data transfer has become much quicker
 Greater access to technology by consumers through portable devices

DIGITAL DEVICES USED BY AUDIENCES
Digital Device Usage Worldwide has soared in the past 10 years
Consumers now have much more options with regard to how they access
data:
• Smartphones
• Tablets
• Smart Watch
• Laptops
• E-Readers
• Smart TV
A snapshot of worldwide digital usage
(Kemp, 2019)

HOW CONSUMERS SEARCH
FOR INFORMATION
 In the modern information age the majority of
consumers use search engines as a means of
accessing information.
 The Main Search Engines by Market Share for
2018 were:
 Google 74.5%
 Yahoo 5-10%
 Bing 5-10%
 Baidu 14.6%
 Mobile Device Traffic Increasing
 Desktop traffic is falling
Mangles (2018)

WHAT CONSUMERS
BUY ONLINE
As discussed consumers buy
a wide range of products
online.
Books and Electronics are the
most popular items.
Mahapatra (2013)

ONLINE VIDEO CONSUMPTION
 Videos are now a huge source of consumer information
 Online Videos are an increasing important aspect of the digital world
with 80% of people watching a video before making a purchase
 For example a video on the homepage of a website can experience a
4 fold increase in the customer time a visitor spends on a company
website
 Youtube is by far the largest online video platform with Tick Tok,
Vimeo and Flicker also key players.
 97% of marketers claim that videos help customers understand
products better (Hubspot)
 81 % of businesses are now using video for marketing (Hubspot)

CONSUMER TRENDS IN TECHNOLOGY
 Digital Consumers are becoming more informed and connected
 Increasing access to information through blogs, ebooks, videos,
podcasts and webinars
 Becoming perceived experts in their fields (social influencers)
 Online is becoming the go to place to access information pre-
purchase(even in the case of offline purchases)
 Consumers increasingly use price comparison websites and reviews
on social media to make essential buying decisions
 Businesses without an online presence run the risk of becoming
obsolete as consumers have limited patience and attention span in
the modern digital age

EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
More Consumers than ever are accessing the internet and
businesses must keep updated on the latest digital trends
Videos are becoming increasing important as an online
communications tool
Marketers must be aware of how consumers search for
information and how they can stay relevant in an online
business world
How information is displayed to consumers online is also
important as different accessing devices will show
information in its own unique way
E-Commerce and Online Marketing are massive
opportunities for all business to reach a wider audience.
Why limit your business to a small audience!

REFERENCES
 Kemp, Simon (2019), Digital 2019: Global Internet Use Accelerates. Available
at: https://wearesocial.com/blog/2019/01/digital-2019-global-internet-use-
accelerates. Accessed Oct 8th 2019.
 Mangles, Carolanne (2018), Search Engine Statistics 2018. Available at:
https://www.smartinsights.com/search-engine-marketing/search-engine-
statistics. Accessed Oct 8th 2019.
 Mahapatra, Lisa (2013), What Consumers Will And Won't Buy Online.
Available at: https://www.businessinsider.com/what-people-buy-online-
2013-1?r=US&IR=T. Accessed Oct 8th 2019
 Hubspot - https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/state-of-video-marketing-
new-data

Task 2 – Presentation Script Notes
Digital Technology in the Modern Age
The Internet Age began in the 1960s as a means for government to share information
Computers in the 1950’s & 60’s were bulky, expensive and in short supply.
They were mainly used at this time by Military, Government and Universities.
Today the Internet is widely available for the vast majority of the world’s population to access.
Digital Device Usage Worldwide has soared in the past 10 years
Consumers now have much more options with regard to how they can access data. Consumers can
now access data online via:
• Smartphones
• Tablets
• Smart Watch
• Laptops
• E-Readers
• Smart TV’s

In the modern information age, the majority of consumers use search engines as a
means of finding information.
The Main Search Engines by Market Share for 2018 were:
• Google 74.5%
• Yahoo 5%
• Bing 5%
• Baidu 14.6%
Mobile Device Traffic is increasing yearly while Desktop traffic is falling year on year.
The modern consumer buys a wide range of products online.
Books and Electronics are the most popular items. Clothing, Jewellery and Sporting
Goods are also commonly bought online.

Videos are now a huge source of consumer information online.
Online Videos are an increasing important aspect of the digital world, with 80% of people
watching a video before making a purchase
To show the power of videos, if there is a video on the homepage of a website, this results in a
4 times increase in the time users spend on that company website.
Youtube is by far the largest online video platform with Tick Tok, Vimeo and Flicker also key
players.
97% of marketers claim that videos help customers understand products better.
81 % of businesses are now using video for marketing purposes (Based on Hubspot Research)
Digital Consumers are becoming more informed and connected.

Digital Consumers are becoming more informed and connected.
Consumers have increasing access to information through blogs, ebooks, videos,
podcasts and webinars has greatly helped customer knowledge.
Customers can now become perceived experts in their online fields (e.g. social
influencers)
Online is becoming the go to place to access information pre-purchase. This is even
the case of offline purchases where consumers search for information online before
buying offline.
Consumers are increasingly using price comparison websites and reviews on social
media to make essential buying decisions
Businesses without an online presence run the risk of becoming obsolete, as
consumers have limited patience and attention span in the modern digital age

Conclusions & Recommendations
More Consumers than ever are accessing the internet and businesses must
keep updated on the latest digital trends.
Videos are becoming increasing important as an online communications tool.
Marketers must be aware of how consumers search for information and how
they can stay relevant in an online business world
How information is displayed to consumers online is very important as
different devices will show information in its own unique way
E-Commerce and Online Marketing are massive opportunities for all
businesses to reach a wider audience.
Why should a business limit their reach to just a small geographical audience!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEgyiKD-FPk
Link to Youtube
Presentation Video