Australian Internet Usage Dynamics Divided

Two newly released surveys have provided an opportunity for analysis
on the dynamics of home and business Internet usage among the Australian
population.

Independent Web measurement and analysis group Red Sheriff‘s new report details the
behavior and user dynamics between home and business users, while the
latest report from the Australian Bureau
of Statistics (ABS) indicates the increase in home Internet access
continues to grow.

Red Sheriff’s findings of the Top 20 Australian Web sites viewed by
Australians, when analysed separately for home and business users
presents a very different picture, according to the report.

“We have known for some time that there are profound differences
between business and home use of the Internet access,” said Red
Sheriff’s Australia and New Zealand general manager Ian Lowe. “These
results serve to confirm what we and many others have thought.”

Workplace users are more subjective when it comes to the Net, using
it as a tool to maximize their time, Lowe said. “What these results show
is that niche, clearly defined marketing and strong brand building is a
must for those online operators targeting the business-to-business (B2B)
sector. These customers are definitely more subjective and more
discriminating in their use of the Net,” said Lowe.

The ABS publication contains results based on the four quarterly
Household Use of Information Technology surveys conducted in 1999. The
survey shows that just under half (48 percent) of all households had
access to a computer at home, with the increase in home Internet access
eclipsing the growth rate in home computers.

The uptake of computers and the Internet has been greater in
metropolitan areas than in the remainder of Australia, according to the
report. By 1999, 52 percent of all households in metropolitan areas had
access to a computer, compared to 41 percent in other areas.

The relative difference was even greater in terms of Internet access,
with 26 percent of households in metropolitan areas having access,
compared to 15 percent in other areas.

The report also found many more Australians are accessing the
Internet at work, home or other locations, and the number of people
using the Internet to shop, bank or pay bills is growing despite initial
low numbers. While only three percent of adults used the Internet for
banking and bill payment, this was more than double the proportion for
1998.