In the past decade, the time people spend on the Internet has more than doubled, impacting how consumers search for information, buy products, watch video content, and connect with people and businesses.

1. The Evolution
of the Internet
● How consumers use technology and its
impact on their lives

2. Introduction
In the past decade, the time people spend on the
Internet has more than doubled, impacting how
consumers search for information, buy products,
watch video content, and connect with people and
businesses.
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3. Access to the Internet
When broadband was introduced in the UK in 2000, the maximum speed it reached was 512 kilobits per second.
In 2000, only around 25% of households in the UK had access to the Internet. Most of these households still
connected to the Internet using dial-up, which was even slower.
Around 96% of households in the UK currently have Internet access. The average broadband speed is now 64
Mbps, which is more than one hundred times faster than twenty years ago.
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4. Digital devices used by audiences
During the last few years, the
mobile phone has become the
most popular device to access
the Internet in the UK.
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Tablets have overtaken laptops
to become the second most
popular devices to browse the
Internet in Britain.
The laptop is currently the third
most frequently used device for
accessing the Internet in the
United Kingdom.
The use of desktop computers
for accessing the Internet is on a
decline compared to portable
devices.

5. How customers search for information
When searching the Internet for information, most people use search engines such as Google and Bing to find
what they need. Search engines use web robots to crawl millions of pages on the Internet to find the most
relevant pages to the search query. Search engines can also help when someone needs to find a specific
website but doesn't know its exact URL.
Internet users often turn to YouTube and other video sharing platforms when looking for video content.
Customers often go directly to retailers’ websites or online marketplaces, such as Amazon or eBay, to search
for a product that they want to buy.
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6. What customers buy online
List of the most popular items purchased online in the UK in 2020 and the percentage of people who bought
them:
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Clothes, shoes and accessories 55 %
Tickets to cultural or other events 35 %
Deliveries from restaurants, fast-food chains or catering services 32 %
Printed books, magazines or newspapers 29 %
Furniture, home accessories or gardening products 28 %
Music as a streaming service or download 26 %

7. What customers buy online
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Films or series as a streaming service or download 25 %
Computers, tablets, mobile phones or accessories 24 %
Children's toys or childcare items 22 %
Cosmetics, beauty or wellness products 22 %
Cleaning products or personal hygiene products 18 %
Consumer electronics, for example TVs and household appliances 18 %
Online or downloaded games 18 %

8. Online video consumption
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Videos play a significant role in how UK consumers spend time online.
The amount of time adults spent watching video content on the Internet peaked during the 2020
spring lockdown.
In 2019, Internet users over the age of fifteen spent on average 43 minutes per day watching online
videos. This number went up to 48 minutes in 2020 before the spring lockdown began. During the
spring lockdown, the number increased to 52 minutes per day.
YouTube reminds the most popular platform for watching user-generated online videos, followed by
Facebook and Instagram. TikTok is becoming increasingly popular with a younger audience.

9. Online video consumption
Most popular sites for watching online videos in the UK in 2020, and the percentage of people who used them.

10. Consumer trends
How the use of the Internet has changed in the UK over ten years. Popular online activities and percentage of
people who perform them:
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Online shopping 62% 87%
Sending and receiving emails 69% 85%
Finding information about goods or services 58% 81%
Internet banking 42% 76%
Reading online news, newspapers or magazines 39% 70%
Social networking (eg Facebook or Twitter) N/A 70%
2010 2020 growth

11. Summary
When it comes to technology, a lot has changed in ten years. Since the Internet became faster and more
reliable, information is now easily accessible to almost everyone in the UK, regardless of age, occupation,
or level of education.
Love it or hate it, the Internet has proven to be helpful during the lockdown. It provided entertainment by
letting consumers watch online videos and connect with friends and family via social media or video calls.
In addition, online shopping made accessing food and other essential and non-essential items easier.
Technology is here to stay, and it will keep influencing our day to day lives. For example, voice-controlled
devices designed to make our lives easier have been introduced to almost every household in recent years.
Now, we don't even need the keyboard to access all the information that is available on the Internet.

12. Reference List
https://www.computerworld.com/article/3412338/a-history-of-uk-broadband-roll-out--bt--openreach-and-other-major-milestones.html- A history of UK broadband roll out: BT,
Openreach and other major milestones, Author - Christina Mercer-Myers, Audience Development Editor , Computerworld, published on 23 July 2018 (used for slide 3) [accessed
11.12.2021]
https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2020/05/ofcom-2020-study-average-uk-broadband-isp-speeds-hit-64mb.html- Ofcom 2020 Study – Average UK Broadband ISP Speeds Hit
64Mb, published May 2020 [accessed 11.12.2021]
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/householdcharacteristics/homeinternetandsocialmediausage/bulletins/internetaccesshouseholdsandindividuals/2020-
Office for National Statistics, Release date- 07.08.2020, Internet access - households and individuals 2020 Edition - Excel document, table 1 (used for slide 3), tables 5 and 8 (used for
slide 10), tables 11, 12, 13 (used for slides 6 and 7) [accessed 10.01.2022]
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/householdcharacteristics/homeinternetandsocialmediausage/bulletins/internetaccesshouseholdsandindividuals/2019-
Office for National Statistics, Release date- 07.08.2020, Internet access - households and individuals 2019 Edition - point 5 (used for slide 4) [accessed 10.01.2022]
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/220414/online-nation-2021-report.pdf - Ofcom, Online Nation, 2021 Report - pages 89 - 91 (used for slide 8) [accessed
11.02.2022]
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0027/196407/online-nation-2020-report.pdf - Ofcom, Online Nation, 2020 Report - pages 114 and 115 (used for slide 9) [accessed
11.02.2022]