1. The Digital Consumer
- A Perspective
Michael Payne
Director of Insights & One-to-One Marketing
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Consumer Perspective Seminar
4th July 2012

2. The Digital Consumer - A Perspective
1. Digital consumers are not one homogenous group
2. Blissful ignorance and blind trust is prevalent
3. What people say and want online may not be the
same thing
4. How people behave offline and online may not
necessarily be the same
5. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication
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3. For those under 30(ish) the world has always been
digital…
• Information on everything and anything is available at
the touch of a button….
• … Wider circles of acquaintance, but smaller groups of
close friends
• Technology is used as a form of self expression
Others know the net has good deals but worry about…
• …Buying on line
• …‘breaking the computer’
• …running up bills
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4. Blissful ignorance and blind trust is prevalent
• There is poor understanding of
the mechanics that cross ‘my friends son
segment boundaries… helps me – he’s a
- ‘Up to’ speeds computer whiz kid’
- Impact of concurrent usage
- Web pages are data
- Computer setting effect speed
- Routers effect speed
‘… if I’ve actually
- Virus settings
spoken with other people
on forums. I feel less
• Help is valued from trusted
sources … but the definition of vulnerable to a mistake
trust is broad when I actually do buy’
Advice about the internet must
be seen to be independent
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5. What people say and what people want online
may not be the same
• Expect kids protected • … don’t want bodies to
from improper content… censor information…
• Expect better results • … want to be able to access
and products through everything
personalisation…
• Expect online prices to • … want to be able to touch
be mirrored offline… and feel products beforehand
• Expect protection from • …. are lax in attitudes to
unscrupulous sellers… passwords and own security
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6. How people behave offline and online may
not be the same
• Online behaviour is dis-
‘……. I think you
inhibited as people feel more
have to give back
remote from the actual event
a little to the little
people.”
- Offline: expect rules, control and
follow social norms in an offline world ’
and there is an expectation of
collective or community responsibility
- Online: expect less rules and ‘I can’t imagine
controls; more freedom of expression paying for my
and of behaviour. More focus on music’
individual responsibility.
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7. Online is driving higher expectations offline but
the relationship is asymmetrical
• Higher expectations:
- instant access, 24 hours, immediate response
- Price comparison behaviour the norm
- Power of the consumer voice
- Simplicity driving increased expectations that no help
will be needed
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8. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication
• Consumers are more adept
…and more impatient
• Expect it to work and be simple
• Expect it now
• Devices expected to work
together automatically
Anything that makes life more
complicated will ultimately fail
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