OFCOM reveals email use is down 7% in the UK!
The latest facts from OFCOM have continued to demonstrate the strength of the mobile phone, in particular the smartphone and the continuing demise of traditional computers and laptops. With 7 out of every 10 adults now owning their own smartphone and 66% of people using their mobile phone to access the internet, it is hardly surprising that the personal computer market is in decline.
Every year in August, OFCOM release a detailed report called the ‘Communications Market Report’. This year’s report spans 266 pages and covers the whole of the United Kingdom. It reveals some interesting facts around TV, radio, internet, mobile and even post but here are some of the facts relating to mobile that really can’t be ignored.
There has been a steep rise in the number of adults going online on a mobile phone with a 5% increase from 2015. Connectivity with better broadband, 3G and 4G no doubt have their part to play but better smartphone features, larger screens, more tablets in use also mean that the hardware is meeting the needs of people going online.
Evidence of the increase in tablets is a 5% increase on 2015 to 59%. Interestingly, games consoles are down this year and the chances are that is because people are using their tablet and smartphones for gaming instead.
Instant messaging has become very popular with 43% of people using services like WhatsApp up from 28% in the previous year – that’s a jump of 15%! Clear evidence that people are using features like dedicated groups and the delivery of media like videos and photos via these services than traditional text messaging – no wonder why every provider is offering unlimited texts these days…
With the increase of instant messaging, emailing has dropped by 7% as people prefer the quick and instant satisfaction of an instant message as opposed to the comparably slow method of sending an email – certainly a point law firms should ponder over.
Use of a smartphone has also increased with the average UK adult spending over 2 hours a day using one and the younger age group (16-24s) using their almost 5 hours a day. 29% of the time this younger age group spend on their smartphone is for medial and communication. It is unsurprising that the smartphone is the number one accessory in our lives today.
The report on page 25 has some interesting graphs that show the time of day when media and communications activity increases across the day, peaking at 9pm with a 74% share. Law firms need to seriously consider how they are servicing their client needs when they are closed for business.
So what do all these facts and figures tell us – well something we already know. That people are spending less time on their laptops and computers and more time on their smartphone especially when it comes to communicating. The new revelation is that email use is decreasing – maybe because it is slower than the alternatives like instant messaging or maybe because people are fed up with all the spam. About 2 years ago, I predicted that email will become redundant in the B-C market…is this evidence of that becoming true?
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