Dubai: If ever local and regional consumer brands needed a compelling argument to seriously consider an on-line presence or upgrade it, the findings of a recent survey would have helped.
According to the survey, internet users spent more time online than engage in the seemingly more static act of television viewing.
Of the more than 2,500 web users polled, an overwhelming 88 per cent used the net on a daily basis. More pertinently, their interaction with it was not confined to a particular time slot.
Over 40 per cent of respondents said they most frequently searched for information on products or actively purchased products online.
Brands would do well to digest this information into their processes rather than have all of their interactions with potential customers within a brick-and-mortar environment or through a traditional media platform.
"The survey clearly shows that people are accessing the internet throughout the day and night, while other media have peak times of usage," said Brendon Ogilvy, CEO of Effective Measures, which did the online research in conjunction with Spot On PR.
While 71 per cent of respondents said they watched television daily, most did so between 8pm to midnight. Most listened to radio and read newspapers in the time frame between 6am and 3pm.
In contrast, respondents reported they accessed the internet relatively evenly throughout the day. As much as 60 per cent spent between one to three hours watching television daily, while 68 per cent spent between one and six hours using the web.
The survey, carried out between July 9 to 12, was conducted on-line via the Effective Measure survey technology (active across more than 100 websites in MENA). The total sample size was 2,587.
