How has technology impacted consumers and their lives? In this presentation we look at the history of the internet and how it has evolved to what it is now, what devices people use to access the internet and how it has affected our consumer habits.

1. How has technology impacted
consumers and their lives?

2. Introduction
Since the internet began in the 1960s, it has revolutionised the way people
consume information and products (lifenoggin, 2014)
In the beginning, the internet was used to send a very small piece or
information from one terminal to another by experts. It grew in the 80s and
90s and was no longer state-controlled. Universities, research centres and
other enterprises started using it and it has kept growing to become what it
is today (Dentzel, n.d)

3. Access To The Internet
In 1990, one year after the World Wide
Web was created, only 0.5% of the
world’s population were online.
Every hour in 2016, 27,000 people
accessed the internet for the first time.
(Roser, et al, 2015)
In 2021, 37% (2.9bn) of the population
still don’t have access to the internet.
(The Guardian, 2021)

4. Internet Speeds
Dial-Up Internet Wireless Internet & Broadband Fibre Optic
3G 2001 / 4G 2009 / 5G 2019
1992 2000
1999 2008
Cossick, 2019
Edwards, 2020
Galazzo, 2020
Plus.net, N/A

5. Digital Devices Used By Audiences
The most common digital devices are mobile phones, computers
(desktop and laptop), tablets and iPads, smart watches and
gaming consoles - all of which can access the internet.
(Lin, 2022)
(Nielsen, 2016)

6. How Customers Search For
Information
• Search Engines (google.com is the most visited web domain)
• 1/4 of internet users aged 16-64 use voice assistants which also benefit people with
physical disabilities,
• visually impaired, the elderly, multitaskers as well as individuals that cannot read or
write
• Image search
• Social Media channels
• Online Q&A sites such as Quora
Kemp, 2021

7. What Do Consumers Buy Online?
• In 2019, 14.1% of global retail sales were online. It’s predicted
to be 22% in 2023
• Covid-19 has impacted what people buy and how often.
Between Jan-March, people turned to online when nothing else
was available - they even began grocery shopping online.
65+ increased 195%, Women 170%, Men 152%, Married
Households 168%, Single Households 132%
(Startzel, 2020)
• Across the globe, clothing is the number one category of
products consumers have purchased online. Many clothing
businesses are solely e-commerce. For example, up until
recently (2022) Gymshark - the sportswear giant was solely
online. Shein; a Chinese online retailer has also become
popular due to the wide range of products at lower prices than
you’d find in physical shops, with thousands of additions added
each day.
Estay, 2019

8. Online Video Consumption
• YouTube launched in 2005 and has now become the most
popular free video sharing platform, with over 2 billion monthly
users. Videos can range from tutorials, comedy, tv/film,
animation, music, lifestyle and vlogs etc. (Leskin, 2020)
• In 2018 TikTok became popular and grew during the Covid-19
lockdowns with people posting short videos of a wide range of
content. The platform uses algorithms to present the user with
videos they would like (Tidy & Smith Galer, 2020)
Bump, 2022
• In 2022, 3.37 billion internet
users were consuming
video
• In 2021, online videos had
an audience reach of 92%
• The global average of video
consumption is 84 minutes
per day
• Facebook has also become
the favoured platform of live
video
(Shepherd, 2023)

9. Consumer Trends
• 40% of people are more likely to to buy after looking at photos and reviews and 53% are more confident
in their purchase from looking at other buyers photos instead of professional photography (Stanford,
2022)
• Social media plays a large part in what’s trending and what people buy - especially if they see it being
advertised by celebrities. Something can be made popular and then it can just as quickly disappear

10. Summary
• Over the years the internet has evolved and grown to where it is the number one source for information
with over half the Earth’s population having access to it.
• Businesses have moved online to attract more people over a wider geographical location, with the ability to
sell through more than one channel. Online retailers are constantly growing.
• Mobile phones and computers are now the number one digital device used which makes internet access
and video consumption easier and on the go (from a phone). The development of wireless internet has
made this easier.
• The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way in which people consume products and information. Many
have continued the same habits of shopping online which is resulting in physical shopping declining.
• The use of social media is influencing what people buy and what videos are consumed. With the
introduction of TikTok and it’s popularity over the pandemic, many people are turning to the videos and
social media “influencers” for tips on what to consume.

11. References
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