Pictured: Cera Ward, Head of Sales, Google Ireland
Google has published the findings of its Consumer Barometer for 2014 which shows that Ireland is a nation of savvy online consumers. Compared to other countries the Irish consumer has an average of 3.1 connected devices, placing us on a par with the UK. Consumers are great multi-taskers with Ireland placed 6th out of the countries surveyed for multi-screening i.e. watching the TV while using another connected device, according to the Barometer.
Google created the Consumer Barometer to provide marketers with the most up-to-date digital consumer insights to support planning. Anyone can use the free tool to create and download customised data and market-specific information. These can help users discover everything from: how often people go online, to how many connected devices they may have, how people research and purchase online, how people are watching online videos or the differences between generations and their online behaviour.
The tool will also help marketers determine insights on their customers or find out about new markets. Comparing the activities of over 150,000+ people surveyed by TNS across different markets, the extensive data explores how often people go online, on what devices and whether they research products online ahead of buying online or in-store.
Vertical sectors currently profiled within the Barometer include: clothing and footwear, home appliances, flights for leisure, hotels for leisure, groceries, mobile phones, make up, car insurance, televisions & cinema tickets.
Cera Ward, Head of Sales, Google Ireland said, “Irish consumers are online and loving the experience, while many Irish businesses are still playing catch up. However, our Consumer Barometer captures a vast array of new consumer research that will enable Irish businesses to easily explore how consumers are behaving and tailor their business offerings to attract more customers online.
She added, “People use digital media for a lot of different reasons. This free tool will help businesses to determine where to focus their attention. For example, the rise of mobile access to the internet continues with the consumer barometer showing that in Ireland 23% of Irish people researching a recent purchase online used a smartphone to do this. 21% of Irish people researched online only before making their last purchase versus the European average of 18%.
She concluded, “the research also shows that the Irish online consumer is unforgiving. If issues are encountered while accessing websites via a smartphone 25% will find another site that works better rather than trying on another device. This shows that as a business in Ireland if you don’t have a mobile strategy in place you’re losing a quarter of the potential online buyers in market!”
