Check out the Internet Statistics Compendium too for further facts and figures.

Interest in virtual reality is declining

A recent article published by Thinknum suggests that, according to sales rank data from Amazon, consumer interest in VR is on the decline. It found that sales rank trends for headsets from Sony, Samsung, and Facebook/Oculus have declined across multiple product categories.

On the back of this, SEM Rush has conducted its own research, also concluding that interest in virtual reality has lessened. 

Looking at search data from over the course of a year, it found that VR-related Google search volumes were 44% lower in December 2017 than they were in December 2016 (see chart below). In contrast, interest in AR appears to be on the up. Boston Consulting Group reports that AR users in the US will reach 51.2 million this year - up 36% on 2017.

VR search data

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47% of consumers are tired of repetitive influencers

Influencer marketing continues to be a source of investment for brands. However, new research from BazaarVoice suggests that consumers are showing increasing concern about the industry.

In a survey of over 6,000 consumers in the UK, France, and Germany, it found that 47% of respondents expressed frustration over repetitive influencer content, with 23% expressing concern over the quality of the content produced.

62% of consumers also say they feel that influencer content takes advantage of impressionable audiences by being too materialistic and misrepresenting real life. From the survey locations, condemnation was strongest in Germany, where 32% of respondents stated influencers do not promote ethical behaviour.

Despite these reservations, 52% say they are watching more influencer content than a year ago, with the most popular category being entertainers – e.g. comedians, gamers and sports personalities.

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Purpose-driven ads resonate the most with young consumers

A study by Channel 4 suggests that young consumers are more receptive to ads that convey messages about important societal issues. In a survey of 1,000 consumers – split between one group aged 16 to 34, and another aged 35 to 61 – 60% of younger respondents said they notice ads more if they deal with important issues. This is compared to 55% of 35 to 44 year olds and just 37% of those aged 45 and over.

Similarly, respondents aged 16 to 34 are 56% more likely to equate ethical products with better quality than those aged 35 and over, with 56% of the former group willing to pay more as a result (compared to 44% of the latter).

Lastly, the younger group was found to be 39% more likely to want a brand to feature diversity in their advertising than those aged over 35.

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78% of consumers would consider using flexible payment options at point of sale

According to a new report by Duologi, 78% of consumers would consider using flexible payment options at the point of sale, including ‘buy-now-pay-later’ or 0% finance instalments. This comes from a survey of UK consumers on their attitudes towards the credit market.

Out of the percentage of people willing to use flexible payment options, the average amount that each would be willing to borrow is £620. In total, this represents a potential £25 billion sales opportunity for businesses that implement this type of payment into their business model.

Meanwhile, 34% of respondents said they would be more likely to spend with a business that offers POS finance options. 20% also stated that POS finance options would be a key factor in deciding where to shop, suggesting that if a company didn’t offer flexible finance options, they would be more likely to go elsewhere.

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Pubs experienced 320% increase in online engagement during final rounds of World Cup

The World Cup may not have come home, but it certainly did boost the pub economy this summer. According to Yext, pubs experienced a 320% increase in engagement during the final rounds. 

This comes from the analysis of the total number of online actions 155 pubs received (including ‘Get Directions’ clicks, ‘Click to Call’ interactions, and clicks to pub websites from search).

Yext has revealed that engagement during the first week of the World Cup rose by an average of 31% compared to the pre-World Cup period. Compared to non-match days, pubs also experienced 465 more actions or ‘clicks’ per day through the group stages. 

With greater consideration given to pubs during this time, customers also left 1,550 more reviews per day across the entire pub set when compared with pre-tournament levels. This is equivalent to 49,600 more reviews than an equivalent period before the World Cup.

Finally, Yext has revealed that pubs across England experienced consistently less engagement as the World Cup came to a close. On the day of the final, engagement dropped by 28% to its pre-World Cup level.

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91% of young consumers open to gamification

A new report  by Reflect Digital highlights how gamification can be an untapped marketing opportunity for brands. In a survey of 2,000 UK consumers, it was revealed that 91% of people aged 16 to 24 said they would be open to playing games with brands. 

Meanwhile, 84% said they would buy from a brand they enjoyed playing a game with and 61% said they would keep buying from that brand.

Reflect Digital also suggests that the online advertising combined with gamification could deliver an effective ‘one-two punch’, especially to young consumers. 53% of 16 to 24 year olds are said to be influenced by online ads, with this percentage declining for older demographics. 

influence of online ads

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Royal baby is the most popular news story of the year so far

Finally, Urban Airship has revealed the top UK news days in the first six months of 2018. The results are based on the volume of push notifications sent on each day by UK news and media apps, as well as direct open rate showing which days and topics were of most interest to the public.

It has revealed that the birth of the royal baby was the best received news story of the year, seeing an open rate of 4.94%. There were 82,970,673 push notifications sent relating to this story.

This was followed by the build-up to the royal wedding, which saw an open rate of 3.55%, and Donald Trump’s cancellation of the nuclear summit with North Korea, with an open rate of 3.26%.

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