The internet has become a large part of our lives these days, but where are the majority of people spending their time? We’ll examine people’s online habits and look at the latest big trends and how people use and interact with sites on the Internet.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past two decades or more, you’re probably aware of how much impact the internet has had on our lives. Internet usage in the UK has grown from just over 20% of the adult population in the year 2000 to more than 90% of the adult population in the current years. These figures show just how common access to the internet has become and more aspects of our lives are becoming dependant on the service it provides. In recent years, online shopping, social media and digital media are just a few examples of ways in which the Internet is used by consumers in the UK. Although the Internet remains more popular with younger people, older demographics are also starting to use internet-based services to improve their quality of life. Internet usage amongst those in the UK aged 75 and above has risen from 20% in 2011 to 44% in 2018.
So where are the majority of Internet users spending their time? Well, usage habits are changing all the time but there are a few constant areas which always see a lot of Internet traffic:
Online Shopping
Shopping online is one of the UK’s favourite online activities. Most Internet users who were asked ranked the ease and convenience of online stores as their biggest reason for choosing to shop online over traditional shopping. Being able to instantly compare prices from other stores is also a big reason for the popularity of shopping. For now, clothing is the most popular thing to purchase online in the UK. Obviously, the lack of options to try clothes on isn’t enough to dissuade UK shoppers from finding the best deals on clothing. Making payments when buying clothes online is simpler than ever thanks to payment methods such as PayPal and Credit and Debit cards making online payments fast and easy.
Social Media
The UK now has around 45 million active users on different social media networks. That’s an impressive 67% of the population! Facebook ranks as the most popular social media site for users and this isn’t likely to change anytime soon as they have over 30 million users. Social media habits are often linked to buying habits and close to half of 18-34-year-oldshave admitted to buying something after seeing a comment or post from a friend or someone they follow on social media.
Online Gambling
Gambling is big business in the UK and recent years have seen an explosion on the number of different online gambling sites available to UK users. You can find anything from online poker, sports betting sites, bingo and full online casinos. A survey from 2019 found that more than half of adults in the UK have gambled recently.
Part of the reason for the increase in the number of people gambling online is the ease of access to gambling apps. Users can instantly access all of the latest games and make easy payments using their smartphones. There are now loads of different payment methods supported by most major gambling sites including casinos and sports betting sites. Payments can be made instantly through the use of e-Wallets and most payment methods include security to protect against fraud.