The Digital 2022 Australia report put together the key stats on our online behaviour, giving us an overview of the current trends and patterns. Here are our top 4 tidbits from the report that you should know about.
On average, we spend 6 hrs and 13 mins on the internet daily. The report revealed that by the end of 2021, 82.7% of Australians were active on social media, spending almost 2 hours per day on their channels. If you think watching television is a dying behaviour, think again! It was the number one most popular activity, followed by scrolling on social media apps. Interestingly, we were spending 43% more time reading press media and 35% more time listening to podcasts compared to the previous year.
Second to “Googling”, social media was the most-used channel for brand research. At every stage of your customer’s purchase journey, they likely stalked your socials to help with their buying decision.
We knew that TikTok was popular, but new data shows just how much it’s dominating the social media space. It is the staple of 32% of the 16-64 audience, and people had spent 40% more time on TikTok by the end of 2021. On the other hand, Facebook – sorry Meta – stalled their growth with a decrease in usage on Facebook and Whatsapp and a 3% increase in Instagram. Don’t let these stats fool you though! Facebook still wears the crown as the most used social media platform (76.8%), followed by Facebook Messenger (66.4%) and Instagram (57.7%). TikTok, despite gaining popularity rapidly, sits in the 7th spot after Whatsapp, iMessage and Snapchat.
TikTok’s exponential growth tells us two things: consumers love authentic and bite-sized content and the platform is where your focus should be turning to (in most cases). While already proven successful, a spokesman from TikTok said they’re always thinking of new ways to bring value to their community and support content monetisation. For instance, TikTok is ready to roll out the ability to upload videos up to 10 mins long and compete directly with YouTube. A ballsy or off putting move?? We shall see.
As a business, it’s not necessary to jump on this bandwagon right now if your content either doesn’t lend itself to this style of video, or you just don’t have the resources to pull it off (don’t do a half-assed attempt), but it’s certainly worth looking into and considering for your digital marketing strategy moving forward. Your content for TikTok can also be reshared on Instagram Reels – two birds, one stone! This will force you to think outside the box and create more engaging content. We put together some TikTok ideas on another blog here.
Even though we were stuck at home for most of 2021, that hasn’t stopped us from buying a thing or five and having them arrive at our doorstep. According to the report, 52.7% of Aussie internet users shopped for a product or service online weekly! We spent the most on fashion and electronics, but the highest growth came from buying food. Free delivery was the number one factor that encouraged customers to complete an order, followed by coupons and discounts and easy returns. Fun fact – the first and second most searched google shopping queries were Bunnings and Kmart.
We’ve mentioned that customers often use social media platforms for brand research – in fact, 17.5% follow brands they’re researching and 22.6% follow brands they buy from on social channels. This emphasises the importance of posting value-adding and informative content to your socials, sliding your customers further down the purchasing funnel.
Finally, we looked at some digital marketing trends reported from 2021, which may help you decide where your business should be for the most effective online presence. Aussie consumers discover brands primarily through TV ads and search engines, followed by word of mouth. 24.6% of Aussie internet users found new products or services through social media ads, placing them 5th in the ranking. Over 50% of consumers research brands online before making a purchase decision. The primary source of information used is search engines (59.6%), followed by brand websites (38.3%), consumer reviews (35.7%) and social networks (30.3%).
As a business, investing in digital marketing in 2022 is a must. From your website to your socials to the customer reviews, they all play a role in converting your target audience into loyal consumers. Spending money on social ads will help with brand awareness but according to Hootsuite’s Social Trends 2022 survey, the key is fitting your content organically into the platform you’re using. Blending in to stand out!
If there’s one key takeaway from this report, it’s that we are fully immersed in the virtual experience, from shopping to entertainment to engaging with others. We’re spending heaps of money online and it’s no accident that social channels are gradually adding and improving the e-commerce experience on their platforms. In addition, Gen Z is currently the largest demographic globally and these digital natives are driving where socials are headed next. Whether or not they are your target audience right now, they likely will be in future. Understanding their influence and preferences will give your business a competitive edge.
If your business needs a hand with a digital marketing strategy, we’re here to help! Get in touch for a chat.
