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Understanding the Web World: Similarities and Differences Between the US and Other Countries

Understanding the Web World: Similarities and Differences Between the US and Other Countries. 4th Conference on Human Factors & the Web Sponsored by AT&T Labs June 5, 1998. Jorian Clarke SpectraCom Inc. Talk Overview. Provide you with a snapshot of the Web around the World

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Understanding the Web World: Similarities and Differences Between the US and Other Countries

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  1. Understanding the Web World:Similarities and DifferencesBetween the US and Other Countries 4th Conference on Human Factors & the WebSponsored by AT&T LabsJune 5, 1998 Jorian Clarke SpectraCom Inc.

  2. Talk Overview • Provide you with a snapshot of the Web around the World • Give you a better understanding of similarities/differences in usage by country • Encourage you to learn from the Web growth in the US while you examine the impact of the factors of web familiarity, web accessibility, gender, age and culture on design and content development

  3. SpectraCom - What We Do • Strategic Online Planning • Electronic Marketing • Internet, Intranet & Extranet Development • Market Research • Web Hosting

  4. SpectraCom - Our Work • Private and publicly held, small to Fortune 100, regional to international corporations • Range of industries that includes food, financial, consumer goods, printing, manufacturing, healthcare and others • Work done in US, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Germany, Japan • English based and multi-lingual content

  5. Avery Dennison Consolidated Papers, Inc. Johnson Controls Kellogg Company Kohler Co. Parke-Davis Perdue Farms Schick Tetra Warner-Lambert SpectraCom - Sample Client List

  6. Observations and Comparisons • Presentation caveat - can’t generalize US vs. non-US, because Internet usage is as diverse as the cultures of the countries • However, as the first country online and with a large population presence, the US can act as a model for understanding some of the issues other countries may face • There are similarities in Internet adoption/use as countries expand their online presence

  7. Appreciating Global Differences • Differences can be grouped into: • “technology differences” - telecommunications infrastructure, hardware, connectivity options • “people differences” - psychological, social, and cultural characteristics • Other factors not faced by the US include differing languages and cultures, lack of infrastructure unity, diverse technology involvement (smartcards, Minitel, T-Online, etc.), differing currencies within EU/AP.

  8. Who’s Online • Since January 1996, the Internet has tripled in size and is the fastest growing marketing medium in history • More than 150 out of 190 countries have direct access to the Internet • As of May 1998, there were estimated to be 119 million Internet users over the age of 16, worldwide Sources: Network Wizards, eMarketer, NUA

  9. Who’s Online • US is still the Internet leader however the Asia/Pacific region and Europe are gaining • Top 10 countries based on number of people online: Sources: Network Wizards, NUA

  10. Who’s Online • Other countries worth observing due to rapid online expansions or high Internet usage - though their total population is small, include: - Iceland - New Zealand - Taiwan - Norway - Singapore - Denmark - Hong Kong - Belgium - Portugal Sources: NUA, Network Wizards

  11. Who’s Online • Countries with slow growth and/or low connectivity include: - South Africa - Russia - China - India Source: NUA

  12. Similarities to Learn From • Some main similarities between the US and other countries: • Initially, access points are educational institutions then spread to online services and ISPs • Initially, costs (hardware, connection, charge per minute of use) and technical illiteracy are barriers to mass market usage • Initially, content interest is educational, then it develops to include travel planning, entertainment, purchase information and finally commerce

  13. Similarities to Learn From • Some main similarities continued: • Initially, more men than women are on the Web • Youth embrace the online experience earlier than older generations • The business to business market holds the best initial entry point for commerce • Low rates of “churn” - high turnover of users (people using the Internet and not finding it of interest) imply that the majority of people try the online experience and like it no matter their cultural background

  14. What do Non-US Users Say? • Non-US users see the Internet as a universal medium - it’s the same no matter where it’s accessed • However, it is perceived as strongly American influenced • They feel frustrated that participation in contests, etc. are often restricted to US visitors • They would like more localized and native language content Source: SpectraCom Survey

  15. Differences to Accommodate • Some Main Differences - “technology”: • Governmental restrictions/Governmental support • PC ownership, Telecommunications infrastructure and service provider options • Access speed • Costs - per minute access charges, monthly charges

  16. Differences to Accommodate • Some Main Differences - “People”: • Size of youth group: (young people embrace Internet faster) - Asia/Pacific has a larger population under 25 (50%) vs. US (26%) • Financial: Germans are much more likely to use Internet online home banking than the French or British, however, Germans are more reserved about providing credit card information when making an online purchase • News: French are more actively reading news online than users in Britain Sources: NOP, e-Christmas Report

  17. Design and Content Considerations • When expanding internationally a strategy for content architecture is key • First step is strategic decision - one site worldwide or multiple sites designed to accommodate targeted countries if culturally diverse • Design decisions should be based on product category, targeted countries, homogeneity of target audience • Do a cultural analysis on values, perceptions, habits, online familiarity, gender issues, audience makeup and cultural taboos

  18. The Future • As the Internet continues to grow globally, we are not necessarily moving closer to uniformity of usage patterns • Changes necessary to strengthen usage of the Internet include a better infrastructure, liberalization in telecommunications, globally agreed on regulation policies, lower technology costs, and increased user knowledge

  19. In Closing • In moving toward unity, International issues to watch will include taxation, domain name and privacy practices regulation • Internationalization of the Web will require some strategic planning, technological improvements and Web leaders who are already acculturated

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