Discovering the online customer Azeem Azhar

1
Discovering the online customerAzeem Azhar
2
Overview

• The story of Web growth
• The broadening of the audience
• The reality
• BBC approach
• Some conclusions

3
Story of Web growth
300 growth in 9 months
4
The changing audience
Upscale
1995
1996
1997
1998
Male
Female
Less so
5
More women, more kids

• Seems to be happening in the UK

6
Reach doesnt mean usage

• Large portions of the audience log-on very
  infrequently, if at all
• 25 of all British Internet users access less
  than once a month
• 33 of all women less than once a month

7
But web users arent equal
20
Usage DaysDistribution
15
Virtually unchanged 97 vs 98
10
5
Percentof Sample
0
1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
21
23
25
27
29
31
Usage Days
Source Media Metrix, July 1998
8
Heavy users visit more sites
Relationship Between Usage Days and Sites Visited
12
10
8
6
Average Number of Sites Visited
4
2
0
1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
21
23
25
27
29
31
Usage Days
Source Media Metrix, July 1998
9
Heavy vs medium vs light
20
Usage DaysDistribution
LIGHT
15
Virtually unchanged 97 vs 98
MEDIUM
10
HEAVY
5
Percentof Sample
0
1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
21
23
25
27
29
31
Usage Days
Source Media Metrix, July 1998
10
These reality

• The vast majority of Web use is generated by a
  small core group
• . . . but this core group is changing slowly

Heavy/Medium/LightKey Measures
Average
Average
Average
Average
Usage Group
Usage Days
Pages/Day
Mins/Day
Mins/Month
1.4 Days
22.3 Pages
14 Minutes
19.4 Minutes
Light
Medium
7.9
178.5
19.6
154
Heavy
23
753.3
31.7
730
11
Heaviest account for bulk of use
20
100
Heavy
60
80
60
Medium
40
20
Light
0
Share of Sample
Share of Pages
Source Media Metrix, July 1998
12
What makes a heavy user?

• Gender is the key demographic discriminator
• Confidence and competence key drivers
• Success breeds success
• Light users are restricted in nature of use
• The geek lives...

Source BBC Online research
13
Think about the lighter user
20
100
Heavy
Drives advertising and commerce revenue
60
80
60
Medium
40
Present a real opportunity
20
Light
0
Share of Sample
Share of Pages
Source Media Metrix, July 1998
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Understanding online use
Academic information
Business information
Leisure information
Leisure entertainment
Source BBC Online research
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Understanding the lighter user

• Lighter users are not homogenous
• Less sophisticated, less confident
• 77 of women, 45 of men do not know modem speed
  (or if they have a modem) BMRB
• Experience does not make you a heavy user!
• e.g. kids vs adults
• e.g. work vs leisure

Source BBC Online research
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Light users online
Have deliberately not got it at home, my girls
are too young.

• Often unclear why
• through work
• because everyone else is
• Concerned about
• unsuitable material
• Bored and disheartened
• by early lack of success

Lonely people talking at night
Source BBC Online research
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The BBC target

• A public service broadcaster
• Our target is every online user in Britain
• not merely those who will drive advertising and
  commerce revenue
• Start with clear winners
• News Online (BAFTA award winner)
• Programme-extension sites
• Eastenders,Teletubbies
• Easy to communicate, brand and promote

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BBC approach next phase

• Improve portrayal of technology
• Broaden content offering
• beyond news and technology
• beyond programme-extension
• towards a catalyst for conversation and a
  resource
• Encourage first successful steps
• WebWise
• Increasingly goal oriented
• clarity and simplicity

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Conclusions

• All Web users are not equal
• A heavy using core generates most of the activity
  and most of the revenue
• Users need a helping hand
• most sites are too complicated

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Contacts

• Azeem Azhar
• BBC Online
• azeem.azhar_at_bbc.co.uk
• Access our services from http//www.bbc.co.uk/