The Evolution of Digital Marketing

The Evolution
of Digital
Marketing
How consumers use technology and
its impact on their lives

Contents
● Introduction
● Access to the Internet
● Digital Devices
● Searching for Information
● What Consumers Buy Online
● Online Video Consumption
● Consumer Trends
● Summary

Introduction
The evolution of the Internet and Digital
Technology has, and still is, changing the world
drastically at an accelerated rate.
We now live in a digital age of information and
convenience, with over 62% of the world's
population now connected to the internet with
over 90% of users accessing from a digital mobile
device.
In this presentation I will be outlining some of the
changes of digital technology and the internet and
exploring the impact they have had on consumers
lives.

A Brief History of The Internet
The birth of the internet revolutionised digital technology. When the internet started in the 60’s, a private network for the use of the U.S
government, computers were large in size and in price. The internets popularity grew in the 1980’s when every network became connected.
The extensive developments, as well as the decrease in price, of digital technology have led the internet into becoming what it is today, a
worldwide network of information allowing for; electronic commerce, information acquisition, social and entertainment activities.

Access to The Internet
With the growth of the internet and technological capabilities,
the number of people accessing the internet has increased
drastically over the years.
The creation of the World Wide Web in the 90’s, as well as the
formation of internet companies, started the expansive growth
of people accessing the internet.
This growth continued in the early 2000’s, seeing the
emergence of blogging websites, music streaming services, and
most impactfully the launch of the Iphone, seeing a surge in
mobile internet access.
Today, the world's population is 7.91 billion. According to
Simon Kemp (2022), internet users currently stand at 4.95
billion, an internet penetration of 62.5 % of the world’s
population.

Access to The Internet- Growth Over Time
This video shows the growth of internet users
within the top 20 countries from 1990-2021.
The stats clearly show the vast growth of
internet users in a relatively short period of
time.
This growth shows the popularity of the
internet with consumers. It is likely that the
advances in technology and its capabilities,
such as faster internet speeds, internet
enabled mobile devices, and lowering costs of
digital tech, aided this trend.
Animated Stats, 2021 “Top 20 Countries With The Highest Number of
Internet Users From 1990 to 2021” (video) YouTube.com

Access to The Internet- The Last 10 Years
This graph shows the rising number
of internet users over the last ten
years. From 2.177 billion in 2012
to 4.950 billion in 2022.
The fact that internet users have
more than doubled in this time
indicates that the internet and
digital technology has become
integrated with ease into consumers
lives, becoming a fundamental
beneﬁt for them.
Fig.1 Simon Kemp, 2022 “Internet Users Over Time” (Graph)
digitalportal.com

Access to The Internet- Daily Internet Usage
This graph shows the amount of
time spent daily on the internet of
users between the ages of 16-64.
With over 6 hours a day since 2013,
It is clear that the internet has
become a daily necessity for
consumers.
Simon Kemp, 2022 “Daily Time Spent Using The Internet” (Graph)
digitalportal.com

Keeping up- Internet Speeds
This graph shows
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Reference
Dani Warner (2018) informs us, the advent of broadband revolutionised the internet and digital
technology. Broadband allowed one line to be split between telephone and internet, meaning users
could be online and make phone calls at the same time.
Before this time, there was dial up internet, which took up the full use of telephone lines. People
were unable to make phone calls and be online at the sametime. Dial up internet ran at 56kbps
making downloading speeds extremely slow.
Since its introduction in the early 2000’s, broadband has continued to increase its internet speed.
According to World Population Review, the average internet speed in September 2021 was 113.25
Mbps on fixed broadband and 63.15 Mbps on mobile.
The need for this speed is a reflection of consumers demands for internet accessibility, with fast
internet now being an expectation rather than a benefit.

Digital Devices
Digital Device- “A physical unit of equipment that contains a
computer or microcontroller”. (Yourdictionary)
Digital devices have transformed many aspects of modern
life; travel, work, shopping, entertainment, and
communications are just some of the areas that digital
devices have revolutionised. A couple of reasons for this are
that digital devices offer great convenience and save time
for their users.
Digital devices include:
● desktop computers
● laptop computers
● mobile phones/smart phones
● tablet computers
● e-readers
● MP3 Players
● Smart TV’s

Digital Device Examples
Laptop Smart Phone
Smart TV Smart Watch

Mobile Devices
Mobile devices have become integrated into billions of
people's daily lives world-wide. Web-enabled devices such
as smartphones and tablets have become essential tools
for communication, information, and entertainment.
According to Simon Kemp (2022), over 5 Billion people
use a unique mobile device.
92.1% of internet users access the internet via mobile
phones.

Mobile Devices The Smartphone is the most popular
digital device world-wide. This
graph shows the growing trend in
Smartphone users in Billions.
6.648 Billion people currently use
Smartphones.
It is obvious that smartphones have
had a immense impact on
consumers lives. Smartphones now
being a crucial part to most people's
daily activity. These days it is
difficult to ﬁnd someone that does
not own a smartphone or mobile
device.
Fig 2. Statista “Number of Smartphone users Worldwide
data from 2017-2022” (Graph) Statista (Online)

Transactional
The intent to buy/shop, often product or
service speciﬁc. (Eg “Beatles
discography download” )
Informational
The intent to acquire information. Often
question based searches; who, what,
when, where, why. (Eg. “Who are The
Beatles?”)
Navigational
The intent to reach a speciﬁc website or
web-page. Usually centred around a
particular brand. (Eg. “The Beatles
Blog”)
These are the three main categories that online queries and searches fall into

Searching For Information
Customers use many online channels to search for information,
such as:
Browser-based platforms (Google Chrome, Microsoft
Explorer, Apple Safari)
Search Engines Google, Bing, Yahoo
Desktop Apps Chrome apps (Google Play Store) Apple Apps
(Apple Store)
Social Media feed-based platforms like; Facebook, Instagram,
Twitter.
Video platforms Youtube, Vimeo, Vevo,
Email Communication between customers and businesses
Blogs and online Newsletters

Why Buy Online
According to Melissa Boice (2021) the following
are the top reasons why consumers shop online:
● Convenience
● More product options
● Search for certain brand
● Free shipping
● Safety (social distancing)
● Lower prices
● Fast shipping
● Discounts
● Find new brands
● Online exclusive products
● Price comparison
● Reviews from other customers

Customers online buying process
This diagram shows the consumers online buying process, from recognising a need to
solving the problem for this need through a number of online processes that ultimately
lead to a purchase
Fig 3 Shane Jones
(2014) “The six stages of
the Consumer Buying
Process (Image)
Business 2 Community
(Online)

This graph shows the trending
Ecommerce categories of goods and
services purchased online in the UK
in 2020.
What Consumers
Buy Online
Fig 4 Statistia (2020) “Goods and
services ranked by share of
individuals who purchased online in
Great Britain in 2020” (Graph)
Statistics (Online)

What Consumers Buy Online
This image shows the
current trending
consumer goods
Ecommerce categories
worldwide.
Electronics and
Fashion being the
leading categories,
each generating over
$9 Billion of business
(B2C)
Fig 5- Simon Kemp (2022) “Consumer Goods Categories” (Image)
Digitalportal (Online) digitalportal.com

Online Video Consumption
Developments in technology over the years has led to new
possibilities for both viewing and creating video content
online.
According to Terry Stancheva (2022) People spend an
average of 6 hours and 48 minutes watching video
content online per week, with 75% of video views coming
from mobile devices. It seems that consumers are not just
watching video content for entertainment but also to obtain
information. As video is easier to consume with its audio and
visual stimulation, it is easier for people to retain the
information they need. Video is the main source of
information for 66% of people
Stancheva, Terry (2022) “24 Noteworthy Video Consumption statistics 2022” Tech Jury (Online)

Online Video Consumption
Youtube is one of the main reasons video consumption has had such
growth, with over 2 billion users, 5 billion videos being watched
daily and 500 hours of video content uploaded every minute, as Terry
Stancheva (2022) informs us.
Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have
joined this trend, putting a heavy emphasis on video content. More than
500 million people watch videos on Facebook everyday and 82% of
Twitter users mainly watch video content.
The popularity of video consumption through social media has grown in
conjunction with businesses use of video as a way of marketing to
audiences and consumers.
It is clear that consumers respond to businesses and their use of
branded video content. 93% of businesses gain new customers as a
direct result of posting branded video content to social media
platforms.
Stancheva, Terry (2022) “24 Noteworthy Video Consumption statistics 2022” Tech Jury (Online)

Consumer Trends
Internet Access & Digital Devices
The consumer trends over the years show a growing need for speed, accessibility and over all,
convenience.
Not only are there more people that are accessing the internet today but there is also the
demand for this access to be fast, as we have seen in the increase of internet speeds.
This access also has to be available at all times at any location. We can see this in the
consistent growth on the use of mobile devices. Mobile devices now being the most common
way of accessing the internet and an essential part of people's day-to-day activities
including; communication, entertainment, shopping, business, social interaction

Consumer Trends
Searching for Information
Some trends have remained similar throughout the internet's history. Customers still use the
internet to search for information, one of the primary purposes if the internet (exchange of
data, information and communications).
Customers can search for information in many different forms of media such as; images,
videos, web pages & blogs, through many different channels. The search engine Google is the
most popular channel for searching information. Google now has over 90% of the search
engine market share worldwide. Google search engine handles 3.8 million searches per
minute. (Skai, 2019)

Consumer Trends
This diagram shows a snapshot of what
happens in one “Internet Minute” from
2018.
Fig 6 Jeff Desjardins “What happens in an internet
minute in 2018” (Infographic) Visual Capitalist
(Online)

Consumer Trends
This diagram shows a snapshot of what
happens in one “Internet Minute” from
2021.
From these two charts we can see the the
rise in popular consumer trends, in a three
year time period, that are displayed in a
one minute snapshot of the internet.
Fig 7 Lori Lewis (2021) “What happens in an Internet Minute 2021” (Infographic) Ediscoverytoday (Online)

Consumer Trends
Shopping for Products and Services Online
Much like the growth in internet access, the
products and services that can be bought online
have also grown. Anything can be sold and
purchased online these days, fom physical items
such as clothes, books, cars, to online products
and services such as music and video streaming.
Online consumerism has shown a continuous rise
and it shows no signs of slowing or stopping.
Fig 8- SleekNote (2022) “Digital buyers worldwide from
2014-2021” (Graph) Staistia.Com (Online)

Consumer Trends
Video Consumption
Video is dominating the internet traffic
consumption, and this trend is
increasing.
Videos currently make up more than
82% of all consumer internet traffic
— 15 times higher than it was in 2017

Summary
How has digital technology impacted consumers lives?
Technology has had an immense impact on consumers lives, most notably, mobile
technology and the social web having the biggest impact. For the consumer this has been
mostly a positive impact.
Consumers have the beneﬁts of speed, accessibility and convenience, allowing for instant
access to information, entertainment, products and services. This gives the consumer great
buying power.
Without even leaving the house, consumers can now access all information, compare
prices and reviews before purchasing products and services, quickly fulﬁlling their needs,
wants and demands. The internet and digital technology has enabled consumers to have
powerful voice and direct communication with business and brands online.

Summary
How has digital technology impacted consumers lives?
Businesses and brands have had to respond and adapt to the increased use of the
internet and digital technology as well as consumer trends. These changes have seen
businesses take advantage of technologies and consumer habits.
These days, it is difficult to ﬁnd a company that does not have a substantial web
presence through, websites, social media, online video channels, blogs and apps.
The data and information that is generated from consumers online activities can now
be leveraged by businesses to target, reach and market to their desired audiences as
well as gain insights on customers habits and interests in order to serve their needs,
wants and demands.

Summary- Food for Thought
Although digital technology has had a positive impact in some ways,
is it also causing negative effects?
We now live in a society where digital technology is not a beneﬁt but
instead an expectation. When someone recognises a need, want,
demand their search for a solution will usually start online through a
form of digital technology, demonstrating a reliance on digital
devices and the internet.
We could argue that people have become dependant on digital
technology. This dependance has seen some negative impacts in
peoples; attention, focus, concentration and memory. People now
suffer from “digital distraction” a term which Jim Kwik discuss here
in this video on Digital Deluge.
“Digital Dementia”- a term coined by neuroscientist Manfred Spitzer to describe an
overuse of digital technology resulting in the breakdown of cognitive abilities Susan
Greenﬁeld PHD (2015)
Fig 9 Kwik, Jim , Hyman, Mark (Unknown) “Digital Deluge and distraction” (Video) YouTube (Online)

References
Kemp.Simon (2022) “Digital Around the
World”Datareportal (Online). Available at-
https://datareportal.com/global-digital-overview
(Accessed 23/02/22)
Animated Stats, 2021 “Top 20 Countries With The
Highest Number of Internet Users From 1990 to 2021”
(video) YouTube.com. Available at-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUBSiWc_K-k&t=46
s (Accessed 23/02/22)
Fig.1 Simon Kemp, 2022 “Internet Users Over Time”
(Graph) digitalportal.com. Available at-
(Accessed 23/02/22)
Simon Kemp, 2022 “Daily Time Spent Using The
Internet” (Graph) digitalportal.com. Available at-
(Accessed 23/02/22)

References
Warner, Dani 2018) “Broadband History” Uswitch. Uswitch
(online). Available at-
https://www.uswitch.com/broadband/guides/broadband-h
istory/ (Accessed 23/02/22)
Unknown, (2022) “World Population Review” World
Population Review (Online) Available at-
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/inte
rnet-speeds-by-country (Accessed 23/02/22)
Your Dictionary (Unknown) “Digital Device Deﬁnition”
Yourdictionary (Online). Available at-
https://www.yourdictionary.com/digital-device (Accessed
23/02/22)
Kemp.Simon (2022) “Digital Around the
World”Datareportal (Online). Available at-
(Accessed 23/02/22)

References
Fig 2. Statista “Number of Smartphone users Worldwide
data from 2017-2022” (Graph) Statista (Online) Available
at-
https://www.statista.com/topics/779/mobile-internet/#topi
cHeader__wrapper (Accessed 23/02/22)
Boice, Melissa (2021) “Top Reasons Consumers Shop
Online” JungleScout (Online). Available at-
https://www.junglescout.com/blog/reasons-consumers-sho
p-online/ (Accessed 23/02/22)
Fig 3 Shane Jones (2014) “The six stages of the Consumer
Buying Process (Image) Business 2 Community (Online).
Available at-
https://www.business2community.com/consumer-marketin
g/six-stages-consumer-buying-process-market-0811565
(Accessed 23/02/22)

References
Fig 4 Statistia (2020) “Goods and services ranked by
share of individuals who purchased online in Great
Britain in 2020” (Graph) Statistics (Online)
Fig 5- Simon Kemp (2022) “Consumer Goods
Categories” (Image) Digitalportal (Online)
digitalportal.com . Available at-
(Accessed 23/02/22)
Stancheva, Terry (2022) “24 Noteworthy Video
Consumption statistics 2022” Tech Jury (Online)
Available at-
https://techjury.net/blog/video-consumption-statistics
/#gref (Accessed 23/02/22)
Skai (2019) “How Many Google Searches Per Day Are
There?” Skai (Online) Available at-
https://skai.io/monday-morning-metrics-daily-searches
-on-google-and-other-google-facts/ (Accessed
23/02/22)

References
Fig 6 Jeff Desjardins “What happens in an internet
minute in 2018” (IInfographic) Visual Capitalist (Online)
Available at-
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/internet-minute-2018
/ (Accessed 23/02/22)
Fig 7 Lori Lewis (2021) “What happens in an Internet
Minute 2021” (Infographic) Ediscoverytoday (Online)
Available at-
https://ediscoverytoday.com/2021/04/16/here-is-your-
2021-internet-minute-infographic-ediscovery-trends/
(Accessed 23/02/22)
Fig 8- SleekNote (2022) “Digital buyers worldwide
from 2014-2021” (Graph) Staistia.Com (Online)
Available at-
https://sleeknote.com/blog/online-shopping-statistics
(Accessed 23/02/22)

References
Kwik, Jim , Hyman, Mark (Unknown) “Digital Deluge
and distraction” (Video) YouTube (Online) Available
at-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQOARC5yRyE
(Accessed 23/02/22)
Greenﬁeld, Susan (2015) “Digital Dementia”
Psychology today (Online) Available at-
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mind-cha
nge/201507/digital-dementia (Accessed 23/02/22)

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