Compared to last year, significantly more users are going online with smartphones (CH: +19 percent, D: +15 percent, A: +30 percent), while Internet use via laptop/PC is declining slightly (CH: -1 percent, D: -2 percent, A: -3 percent). These are the key findings of this year's second joint study by IAB Switzerland, the Bundesverband Digitale Wirtschaft (BVDW) e.V. and IAB Austria on digital usage in the German-speaking Internet region.
Internet continues to lead in media usage - Mobile Internet on the rise
In terms of weekday media and device use, the Internet (use via laptop/PC) remains in clear first place in all three countries (CH: 87 percent, D: 90 percent of respondents, A: 89 percent). In Austria and Switzerland, the smartphone has now overtaken TV and is in second place there (70 percent in each case; TV: 60 percent (A) and 64 percent (CH)). Among Germans, TV still ranks second (70 percent), with smartphone and radio sharing third place (63 percent each).
The trend toward mobile Internet is also reflected in the weekday usage duration: While Internet usage duration via laptop/desktop has decreased compared to the previous year (D: 185 minutes (previous year: 195 minutes), A: 180 minutes (previous year: 200 minutes), CH: 171 minutes (previous year: 179 minutes)), smartphone usage has increased significantly (CH: 114 minutes (previous year: 100 minutes), D: 114 minutes (previous year: 95 minutes), A: 100 minutes (previous year: 95 minutes)).
Connected Commerce: Informed online or mobile - purchased offline
The search for information on the Internet also has an influence on local shopping: four out of ten online shoppers in the DACH region (CH: 39 percent, D: 38 percent, A: 39 percent) find out about clothing, shoes and accessories online before buying these products in a retail store. The categories electrical appliances (CH: 33 percent, D: 32 percent, A: 38 percent) and computers (CH: 30 percent, D: 27 percent, A: 30 percent) follow in second and third place. Across all product categories, it is also evident that information searches are increasingly shifting to mobile devices.
At the same time, DACH online customers are ordering or booking more via the mobile channel. The proportion of those who made six purchases or more via their smartphone/tablet last month increased sharply compared to last year (CH: +100 percent from 6 percent in 2014 to 12 percent in 2015, D: + 33 percent from 6 percent in 2014 to 8 percent in 2015, A: +225 percent from 4 percent in 2014 to 13 percent in 2015).
Awareness of Mobile Payment Increases - Willingness to Use Payment Apps Declines in Switzerland and Austria
More and more Internet users are aware of the smartphone as an alternative to cash and credit cards: Compared to 2014, awareness of mobile payment solutions via app (CH: +19 percent, D: +20 percent, A: +7 percent) and Near Field Communication (NFC)-based payment solutions (CH: +22 percent, D: unchanged, A: +35 percent) has increased noticeably. Overall, however, more than half of respondents (CH: 61 percent, D: 55 percent, A: 62 percent) said they were generally unaware of any mobile payment method. In the same period, the proportion of those who can imagine using a payment app has decreased in Austria and Switzerland (from 16 to 15 percent and from 26 to 24 percent, respectively); only in Germany can more respondents warm to this payment method (20 percent; 2014: 18 percent).
Personal added value of wearables is not yet recognized
Wearables, i.e. Internet-enabled devices (glasses, wristwatches, contact lenses, etc.) that can be worn directly on the body, are a topic that onliners in Germany, Austria and Switzerland are already intensively addressing. The best-known form of wearables are smartwatches (CH: 62 percent, D: 65 percent, A: 63 percent), fitness trackers are known to every second respondent (CH: 50 percent, D: 52 percent, A: 51 percent), closely followed by data glasses (CH: 44 percent, D: 47 percent, A: 53 percent). Internet users attribute the greatest usage potential to fitness trackers (CH: 56 percent, D: 51 percent, A: 51 percent). Nevertheless, online users in the DACH region tend to be negative about wearables across all countries. The reasons for this are a lack of interest, no need for use and a lack of personal added value. In addition, wearables are considered too expensive.
E-mailing remains the most popular Internet activity - increasingly also mobile
As in the previous year, reading or writing e-mails is the most popular Internet activity among DACH online users in 2015 (CH: 89 percent, D: 89 percent, A: 91 percent). Search engines (CH: 85 percent, D: 87 percent, A: 88 percent) and (surveyed for the first time in 2015) online banking (CH: 69 percent, D: 72 percent, A: 79 percent) follow in second and third place. And the shift towards mobile is also evident in the most popular Internet activities: for example, the increase in mobile users for e-mail in Germany is 24 percent, in Austria as much as 50 percent, and in Switzerland 16 percent. Search engines are currently used on mobile by 38 percent more respondents in Germany than a year ago, 35 percent more in Austria and 16 percent more in Switzerland.
The most popular social media activity is communication via messages and news (CH: 59 percent, D: 51 percent, A: 58 percent), closely followed by the use of private social networks (CH: 58 percent, D: 47 percent, A: 56 percent).
In terms of websites visited daily, weather forecasts are at the top of the list in all three countries (CH: 26 percent, D: 27 percent, A: 29 percent). The interests then differ in the other places: In Germany and Austria, shopping sites (17 percent each) and banking and finance websites follow (D: 15 percent, A: 16 percent), in Switzerland video portals (22 percent) and reference works (14 percent).
Online dashboard for media analyses
IAB Switzerland, BVDW, IAB Austria provide an online dashboard for the use of the overall results of the DACH study. In addition to basic potential analyses for the entire German-speaking Internet region, a wide range of target group and country evaluations and comparisons are possible for 2014 and 2015. Interested parties can access the overall data for Germany, Austria and Switzerland or only data for the individual countries. here refer.
Klaus Miller, Head of Research, IAB Switzerland: "Our study shows impressively and now for the second time in a row the current trends in Internet use: The mobile Internet continues to gain ground, especially in the topics of mobile payment and product information search before a purchase. Based on the study results, exciting insights can be derived for product development and marketing, which will certainly be useful for a wide range of industries dealing with digital issues."
BVDW President Matthias Wahl: "Already in its second edition, the DACH study shows important shifts in Internet usage in German-speaking countries. More and more Internet users are going mobile online. The fact that mobile Internet use even accounts for a significant share of the revenues of stationary retail stores illustrates a relevance that goes far beyond the digital industry. Advertisers will benefit from the differentiated study results, which provide an excellent basis for integrated cross-national marketing planning for Germany, Austria and Switzerland."
IAB Austria Managing Director Lilian Meyer-Janzek: "Addressing consumers via multiple channels increases the impact of advertising communication. With the DACH Media Usage Study, we provide data on the parallel use of both digital and traditional media over the course of the day and week, and thus answer the question of the best mix. With knowledge of the different activities depending on the device, multiscreen campaigns can be strategically aligned with user preferences."
DACH Study 2015
For the study on Internet use in the DACH region conducted by the research agency for media d.core, Munich, on behalf of IAB Switzerland, BVDW and IAB Austria, 3,032 Internet users in Germany, Austria and Switzerland were surveyed as part of an online panel in the period from May 15, 2015 to May 29, 2015. The sample was selected online-representatively by age and gender from Internet users between the ages of 16 and 69. In addition to the survey of sociodemographics, media use in general and Internet use in particular (relevance of the medium in everyday life, usage activities by device and over the course of the day, etc.), topics and aspects such as digital commerce (purchase frequency, devices used, expenditure) and new technologies were also the focus of research interest.