Customers in emerging markets typically make more use of online information than those in developed regions, despite having poorer web connections.
Research by TNS found an average of 54% of Chinese users and 56% of Egyptians regularly access information via the web compared to just 20% in Japan, 25% in Denmark and Finland’s 26%.
Many users in emerging regions are bypassing e-mail in favor of social networking sites and instant messaging.
Customers in emerging markets are more likely to post blogs than customers in developed countries, with 88% of Chinese and 51% of Brazilians admitting to posting blogs or comments compared to 32% of US citizens.
Matthew Froggatt, chief development officer at the firm, says the research shows that users in developed markets now take the internet for granted, whereas customers in emerging markets “are embracing these new channels in much more active ways.”
TNS quizzed 50,000 users in 46 markets.
It found that consumers in Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam are more likely to share photos online than users in Japan or Germany, while across the board customers spend more time accessing social networking sites from their mobile phone than their PC.
That figure is set to grow, with 36% of US consumers, 44% of Australians and 53% of Swedes stating they will increase mobile access to social networking sites during the next 12 months.
TNS also found that Malaysians tend to have the highest number of online friends with 233, followed by Brazil (231) and Norway (217), but Japanese users typically have just 29 online friends.