Week 10 – Personalisation November 27, 2009

Website personalisation is a feature that a fair majority of websites have now introduced in order to provide customers with the information they require as providing a much more efficient and satisfying online experience through simply delivering webpage’s that are unique and dynamically modified to meet the needs and expectations of an individual user. This personalisation can be as simple as greeting registered users by their name or by determining a person’s interests based on previous purchases or website page visits. So how does it work? Web personalisation is a process of gathering and storing information about a website user which is then analysed in a way to that the correct information is delivered to the end user at the right time.

I would say that I would be highly for website personalisation simply because I believe not only does it deliver unique customised webpage content to end users but it is also time efficient as it provides the user with a range of products or services that best suit their needs and expectations through the use of previous searches or purchases, thus being one of the most popular web intelligence techniques used by many e-commerce business’ helping them to build a lasting customer relationship between the customer and the business.

As one of the most popular online e-commerce websites, ‘Amazon’ will personalise a users account page by delivering a webpage that shows a number of items the user may be interested in based on previous searches or purchases as well as using a web personalisation technique called ‘Collaborative Filtering’ which works through the use of online user ratings, whereby a user can rate the products provided. Having created a user account the website immediately delivers personalised greetings through the use of already obtained personal details such as the users name or email address.

Another feature of the Amazon website is that they provide the user with a number of product recommendations based on previous searches and purchases of both the user and users with similar interests. I feel that it is a good feature to have on a website such as Amazon as it provides many worthwhile recommendations as well as products that users may be unaware of. Currently Amazon is recommending to me a number CD’s and DVD’s as I have previously searched and bought these such products from the website.

Website personalisation will benefit any business as it will help to expand profit margins as well as boosting a company’s customer base as it helps business’ learn to understand customers interests as well as being able to see how the company itself is performing through the use of the web techniques they provide. The product recommendation feature is another way to help companies save money on the likes of advertising as customers are being recommended products of which they can click through and buy the product if they so wish instead of having to find another means of advertising the product.

Although there are many advantages to web personalisation there are also a number of criticisms too, the main one being customers complaining that it does work and a load of irrelevant products are being recommended. There could be a number of reasons for this, firstly a user could have purchased a product for a friend or child that has no interest to them whatsoever however due to having purchased this item using their account they will receive recommendation based on that product also. Another reason may be down the sheer fact that users have only purchased one or two items from the website and so are being recommended products with no significant meaning, simply because the website requires user to purchase or browse over a certain number of products before it can gain any sort of knowledge as to what products the users may be interested in.

To conclude feel that personalisation is the way forward, it is all around us we can customise desktops, interfaces, web browsers so why not do it on the web too. It is a great way to entice users to use a website as it helps to build strong relationships between the customer and the company as the company can gain an insight as to what a customer likes and provide recommendations for similar products or for example products made by they same music artist or genre.

Week 9 – Customer Relationship Management November 19, 2009

This week my main task was to compile a list of twelve keywords or phrases that best link to my chosen e-commerce website therefore I must complete some research into the most popular searches made. Firstly I made search using the Google, search-based keyword tool in order to gather a list of keywords that best suited for my chosen website, however I was landed with a list of what I felt were irrelevant results. Below is a screenshot of the results listed for www.apple.com/itunes.

Having not been able to gain any insight as to what keywords I could use I decided to take a look at some other keyword tools that may help me on my way to assembling my list of twelve keywords for my website. I decided to use the Google Insights search tool whereby I was able to enter up to five different search terms which Google then calculated to determine the popularity of each over a period of time. Initially I searched www.apple.com/itunes in order to determine the popularity of the iTunes website itself. The results showed that it took an entire year before iTunes took off and customers became active users of the facility, however as of January 2005 results fluctuated until a sudden decline in popularity from January 2008 until recent statistics; however this may be due to the introduction of similar competitors in the music industry.

Following this I decided to make a search based on what I thought would be popular searches made by iTunes users. The terms I used were; iTunes, download music, top 10 songs and iPod Touch. The graph below clearly shows that ‘iTunes’ is the most popular search by far as its results are always increasing. Following behind is the ‘iPod touch’ as its popularity rate is continually increasing form September 2007. On the decline however are ‘download music’ and ‘top 10 songs’ which failed to take off in the first place.

As well as showing how each search term is growing in interest all over the world over a period of time, the image below shows just exactly how popular each is over ten regions, as well as including ten of the most popular searches depending on the chosen search term.

The final Google based tool I used was Google Adwords which gathered a list of the most popular keywords and phrases, the local search volume and the advertiser competition based on my e-commerce site. After looking through the results produced I found they were very repetitive but still helped to give me an insight as to what I should include in final list of twelve keywords.

As I was unsuccessful in finding many useful keywords or phrases relating to my chosen site I decided to browse the internet in search of keyword suggestion tools. The first website I came across was www.webconfs.com which enabled me to enter my website URL and a list of keywords were provided, however these were generally all iPod related but at the same time gave me a general idea as to the searches made.

Another website I found was www.webmaster-toolkit.com where I entered ‘iTunes’ into the search bar and producing a list of results showing what products and services iTunes has to offer.

Now that I have completed my research into the top keywords and phrases for my chosen website, I have chosen the following twelve keywords as I feel they best describe my chosen e-commerce website;

1. Multimedia players
2. Download music
3. Buy music online
4. Download songs
5. Film downloads
6. iPods
7. Top 100 songs
8. Store
9. Rentals
10. Podcasts
11. Gift Cards
12. Applications

Week 8 – E-Marketing November 13, 2009

E-Marketing or electronic marketing is the process of marketing a company’s brand products and services over the internet, such as through the use of search engines, digital video, banner advertisements, and many more in order to secure strong customer based relationships.

With iTunes being one of the biggest if not the biggest online digital music services provided over the internet, I imagine that when I user makes a music related search iTunes will be within the first page of the search results. In order for me to analyse the ease to which I can find the iTunes site using www.google.com, I will first search for iTunes to see exactly where it is placed within the natural search and will then carry out this process three consecutive times making different music related searches each time and will then analyse my results. The searches I will make are as follows;

• iTunes
• Music
• Buy Music Online
• Online Music

When searching ‘iTunes’ in Google, both the first and second results in the natural search, link to the www.apple.com/itunes, webpage as well as a sponsored link to the official iTunes Store down the right hand side of the search.

I then decided to make a random search simply with the word ‘music’ to see what the final results showed. iTunes appears twice in the results, it is listed 6th in the paid for results and 1st within the sponsored links section along the right hand side, however this link relates more to the iPod product side of things more than music itself. Also within this sponsored links column is a link to www.napster.co.uk which would be one of iTunes main competitors as it too provides a service whereby users can download and listen to music at a small month rate. Although iTunes is listed 6th in the natural search results it does not mean that customers will dismiss the link to the website, it just however means that potential customers may click through to other sites within the first five before hand, but on the other hand they may go straight to iTunes.

I made another search for ‘buy music online’ and again iTunes appeared 5th in the list of paid results along with others such as HMV, Amazon and Play where customers can purchase physical products such as CD’s and DVD’s that they will receive in the post shortly after payment has been made. In relation to online music players where music can be downloaded, www.mp3.com was listed within the natural results and Napster was again listed within the sponsored links area which may help to attract other music listeners if they are only willing to download and not physically purchase the music files.

Finally I searched ‘online music’ to see what results would appear relating to iTunes if any. Placed 3rd in the natural search list is one of iTunes rivals www.spotify.com which is another digital music service which gives users the access to millions of songs online, however further on down the list in 6th place is iTunes. Although Tunes is not placed higher up in the list it is important to note that users are still given the opportunity to click through to the site and use the service provided or at least see what iTunes has to offer rather than it not being placed in the list at all, as this means that iTunes are more than likely not to get a visitor hit is the option to click through is not available.

Following these searches I was curious just to see what words or phrases relating to purchasing or downloading music where iTunes may appear in the results, so I completed a few more searched and each time a link to iTunes was always available. I also made a number of searches relating to different iTunes products such as, Podcasts, Applications, Audiobooks and again a link to iTunes was always listed, proving that iTunes is an easily accessible website as a link is generally always found. Over the numerous searches I have made, iTunes is probably the most dominant digital music service as it appears over the majority of searches made providing a link to either the Apple or iTunes store, enabling immediate use.

Week 7 – E-Procurement November 6, 2009

Cloud computing is the demand to access IT data and applications that are stored in a location outside of a persons own computer network or server and are shared by others all over the world via the internet. Cloud computing uses an on-demand approach whereby users can access programs and services when and where required using as much or as little of the service as they want at a specific time without installation but however at a small cost generally via subscription or by the hour depending on how often the clients use the service. Below is a short video explaining what ‘Cloud Computing’ really is.

 

 

Nowadays cloud computing is probably one of the most talked about subjects in IT as more people and businesses are becoming aware of the infrastructure and are therefore considering the shift. With the ability to run data and applications through the cloud will enable businesses to move their branding initiative into a trading platform giving them the opportunity to evolve from mainstream business to a more viable IT organisation. With this such move businesses will find that cloud computing will free them from the everyday constraints of standard IT investment models making transactions easier as well as introducing genuine market differentiation.

There are a number of potential benefits and drawbacks of cloud computing. The first main advantage to all cloud computing users is that they themselves saves personal expenses by not owning the physical infrastructure of the system but alternatively pay a simple rent or subscription fee to providers in order to gain access to the resources and applications they require which are held within serves in an outside location. As well as saving money on only having to pay for the resources they require the user will also save money on storage and maintenance therefore making the service very reliable as servers are owned and run by the government and will be kept well maintained and up to date.

In addition there is no longer the need to ensure that an IT professional is always as hand too sort out download, installation or software update problems as resources are accessible at all times via the internet, meaning that their time in the office can be spent on more needy projects and they have a sense of relief as their assistance is not always required. Users can also upload personal resources, add or subtract storage and resources based on their individual needs including network bandwidth and thy type of processors.

As well as benefits there is always the risk of facing certain drawbacks when using cloud computing. The first and most important drawback would be the risk of security and confidentiality of data and resources when a user decides to move all of their information to data centres outside of the company as they are relying on third parties to ensure security it at its utmost. In additional companies may be fazed by the fact that they do not know where all their information will go if their cloud host was to disappear.

Another major drawback would be that cloud computing can be considerably slow with not only low speed connections but even on a fast connection. Generally with dial up services users may find difficulties when shifting from page to page as a lot of bandwidth is required to download the file. Also if using a fast internet connection user’s may find that documents and interfaces within the cloud are extremely slow, simply because data must be sent from the user’s computer as well as computers within the cloud.

To conclude I feel that cloud computing is the way forward for e-commerce as data and applications will become to widely available and much cheaper for users as software will always be kept well maintained and up to date.

 

References;

- http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/blog/archives/2008/09/a_definition_of.html

- http://forums.webhostdir.com/showthread.php?t=33174

- http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/1124-Ecommerce-Know-How-Cloud-Computing-in-the-Ecommerce-Forecast

 

Week 6 – Supply Chain Management October 30, 2009

As far as iTunes is concerned, both upstream and downstream supply chains apply. I feel iTunes use both strategies simply because in the case of upstream, iTunes acquire the vast majority of its digital content from well known music labels and film producers, who will trade with iTunes who will then use a downstream approach in order to sell their products and services onto their customers.

Push vs pull supply models

Nowadays with the digital music market at an all time high with sales hitting the roof, customers are experiencing a new way of purchasing. In terms of iTunes we can see that ‘pull’ is the new ‘push’ simply because customers are able to purchase individual tracks produced by an artist rather than having to purchase the entire album to only like one or two songs from the track listing. This then gives the customer the opportunity to customise their very own iTunes library or playlists with a range of songs made my various artists meaning that customers will want to hear what is in that playlist without having tracks or items pushed towards them. With the pull strategy concentrating solely on the customer the main importance of the company is to ensure they provide value and ensure the service will be one in order to ensure customer satisfaction as well as attracting new customer leading to a broadened customer base as well as increased sales rather than to deter customers from purchasing or visiting at all.

Vertical integration vs disintegration vs virtual integration

I would say that iTunes would most likely operate using ‘Virtual Integration’. I feel iTunes would operate using this strategy in its day to day running simply because they rely on management activities being undertaken and controlled by outside sources such as the record labels, film producers, application developers and many others, supplying them with all their up to date, high quality digital media and services of which their customers will purchase or subscribe to. Due to dealing with so many widely known record labels and film producers etc, iTunes always ensures to maintain a strong relationship in order to help secure any future deals these labels may offer as well as trying to broaden their supplier base at the same time.

Evidence of value networks

In terms of value networks I would say that by ensuring their customers are well looked after by providing them with everything they need and are satisfied with the products and services they are receiving, including the time in which it takes for a product to download or the quality of their purchase, iTunes will always maintain a good relationship with its customer and supplier base in terms of how they work in partnership with each other. By ensuring that their customers are always happy with what they are receiving it will be hard for iTunes to loose many of its customers at any one time unless some new top of the range platform was developed with extraordinary features of which iTunes has never thought of. Through continuously updating its platform and interface, whilst adding new and improved features and services iTunes always has something new for customers to explore giving them a sense of ease as they know customers will always be around to check out what new meaning that they are more likely to stay around and use its facilities.

Evidence of efficiencies in supply chain

As Apple iTunes continuously strive to provide the best quality service and produce top of the range goods they are always making changes to the way in which they deliver products and services to customers. With iTunes being considered the ‘Number 1’ music platform and online digital retail store, iTunes have proved they can be successful in every way possible by exceeding cashflow and turnaround targets through the huge demand for online digital content of which many of music record labels and film producers supply and give permission for iTunes to sell on to its customers at price. With this success iTunes will do anything and everything in order to keep its existing customer and attract new customers in, so with their ideas of continuous new and improved updates to the iTunes interface and by introducing better ways of syncing and managing your iPod or iPhone contents on the iTunes platform. In terms of ensuring customer have all the content they require iTunes it always up to date with the current charts and applications, however when a customer has made a purchase the item(s) will automatically start to download and will be accessible to listen to or view as soon as the download is complete

Week 5 – E-Business Strategy October 22, 2009

The threat of substitute products and services

As iTunes is one of the world’s biggest online digital media players and online stores it currently does not face fierce competition from similar digital media rivals Napster and Spotify. However with high visitor ratings and purchases both Play.com and Amazon are probably iTunes biggest rivals due to selling almost anything and everything a customer may want from music to books and electronics, DVDs and tickets, you name it they have it therefore expanding on what iTunes provide. Although due to being a unique online digital media store hence the word ‘Tunes’ in the name; iTunes must ensure to keep prices to an absolute minimum to avoid both existing competitors or those who may find a place in the market to develop from grabbing customers and offering better services elsewhere. However just this week Apple iTunes have gone one step further in trying to make themselves one of a kind by launching several new Twitter accounts such as, ‘iTunes Music,’ ‘iTunes Podcasts,’ iTunes Movies’ and ‘iTunes TV’ which provide the latest news and updates about what users can find on accessing these sections within the iTunes Store, however this service is currently only available to the United States but soon hope to expand for international users also.

The threat of the entry of new competitors (barriers to entry)

Nowadays with the internet being so widely used around the world there is always the chance of businesses finding themselves stuck in a rut with new competition lurking just around the corner, be it an existing competitor or one just about to find its place in the market. All in all in is important that the business itself ensures to prevent such competition entering the market by imply ensuring to have strong, durable barriers to entry in order to give the business a sense of domination over any new competitors. As for iTunes I feel if we consider only the services they provide such as the online store whereby customers ca purchase, music, films applications and much more as well as subscribing to podcasts and audiobooks, iTunes is currently pretty dominate in its market sector, however it is important that they always consider the threat of customers leaving and supporting another competitor such as the new ‘One Box’ online music service in which Google have joined with iLike and Lala and are hoping to launch sometime next week.

The intensity of competitive rivalry

With digital media being quite central and existent in the lives of everybody, all media stores will have a fair bit of competition however it is through the way in which these competitors offer products and services to their customers in order to win them over. Most digital media players basically do all the same sorts of things however just with a different user interface in order to make them unique. Apple iTunes however work on the basis of price and innovation in order to win customers over by the look of professionalism and complete uniqueness, one example being with the added online iTunes Store. iTunes are continuously thinking of new ideas in order to attract and draw in more customers by constantly making changes to the iTunes interface or by adding new and improved features that are not offered by any other business in the digital media sector, such as the new ‘home sharing’ feature whereby users can transfer music and movies and much more between computers within the home, or simply through the new and improved method of syncing applications on the iTunes application home screen of the computer.

The bargaining power of customers/buyers

Apple iTunes would greatly rely on its customers in order to stay successful, therefore it is vital that iTunes stays right on track and keeps up to date with the new and improved way of doing things in order to secure its customer base. To do this iTunes must think ‘customers first’ and adhere to what they think their customers will want simply because there are many other companies out there that may offer a better deal. One such instance could be through customers sharing music through peer to peer networks such as Limewire and Ares which enable users to download music files without paying for them again recommending that iTunes keep prices to an absolute minimum in order to secure customer satisfaction. There are also other ways in which the likes of iTunes customers can benefit from, such as the offers and rewards in which other companies such as Coca Cola provide. Occasionally we will see that Coca Cola will have an offer such as, win a free iTunes song on special packs, whereby on the inside of the label of the branded bottle they will state, ‘Congratulations, You are a Winner!’ or you must type in a special code into the iTunes Store to redeem your prize. With offer such as these Coca Cola will have to make a deal with iTunes as to how much they will pay for the amount of songs they will give away free, in order for the promotional offer to go ahead.

The bargaining power of suppliers

Apple iTunes would be nonexistent if it wasn’t for the major records labels such as, Sony, BMG, Warner and Universal supplying the music to iTunes; however this is always at a price. My research proves that the record labels can choose what products and services they wish to sell to iTunes and for what price they wish to sell each music release. Not only does this apply to the music side of things but the same applies for both movies and TV shows produced by the likes of Disney, ABC, Fox, Pixar and many more. It is through this process that the company must decide whether to make an agreement one way or another with the supplier in order to do business. However if the business declines an offer by a suppler they may find it hard to find another who will comply with their needs and wants simply because it is easier for the supplier to drive up prices and decide what they want for their products and services.

Week 4 – E-Environment October 14, 2009

With iTunes being one of the worlds biggest digital media players with its very own online store, users have everything they will ever need to keep themselves entertained. Due to being a media player and online store there are a wide range of terms and conditions that must be considered by its users, but as far as the purchasing side of things goes, Apple have a very clear set of ‘Terms and Conditions’ by which they ask users to agree to, otherwise they simply ask those to withdraw from using the iTunes site.

Apple iTunes aim to ensure that its users are in the best hands and if by any chance they face a particular problem whether it be with their iPod, iPhone, iTunes player, or any features within the iTunes Store such as accounts and billing or simply the purchasing process, repair and warranty options, help is always at hand through the use of the online FAQ’s and if the question or problem still cannot be solved, a telephone and email service is also available. In the case of returning goods it is vital that users have an Apple ID otherwise a purchase cannot be made in the first place, however iTunes do have a returns policy in place whereby in the event of a technical problem or failure to deliver a product; customers have the right to receive either a replacement or a complete refund of the price paid for the product.

iTunes registration is a fast, simple and completely free process. To set up an Apple ID account users should open iTunes and click on the iTunes Store option along the left hand side of the iTunes player, opening the online store. Once here click the option to ‘sign in’ from the top right hand corner of the screen.

From here they should choose either ‘Create New Account’ or enter an existing Apple ID or AOL screename. If the user is new it is important that they agree to the Terms and Conditions of the iTunes Store and then proceed to the next screen of registration whereby they must enter a valid email address for their Apple ID account including a password and secret question for further site security. It is here that the iTunes Store becomes secure which can be seen from the locked padlock in the top right hand corner of the account form, indicating a secure connection.

Next they should enter a valid billing address and payment method such as, credit or debit card or through a PayPal account, which will be used in order to purchase through the online iTunes Store. Once this section has been completed the user has successfully created a unique Apple ID and iTunes account and is ready to shop.

A cookie is a file created by a particular website in order to store specific information so that the user can be identified by storing details such as your name, email address or username etc, however the website only has access to the information in which the user provides. As far as the online Apple iTunes Store is concerned, user information is held and used under strict privacy policies and therefore information is safe and secure. In order to provide the ultimate personalised shopping experience the online iTunes Store communicates with the computers Internet browser asking to store cookies on the computer in order to store provide suggestions of which items users may be interested in due to pervious purchases or item searches. iTunes also uses cookies in order to allow the user to add items to the shopping basket and complete the online checkout process therefore it is recommended that when purchasing from the online store the user should enable cookies in their browser.

Week 3 – E-Business Infrastructure October 7, 2009

Having carried out a good bit of research on the growth rates and visitor trends of iTunes I found out some interesting facts about the company. With an estimated over 50 million users, approximately 8,042 of these users visit iTunes per day, estimating around 46,556 visits over the past 30 days, however it is important to note that this is only an estimate and visits may fluctuate over time. Results show that a near 50% of iTunes users are from the United States compared to the UK with only 4.6% of users.

When comparing these trends with other legal music services such as ‘Spotify’ and ‘Napster’ of which will be competing with iTunes I found a number of interesting facts. From the comparison results from www.compete.com it is clear to see that iTunes outnumbers the results of any of the other to services. As regards to competitors iTunes does not have anything to worry about as ‘Napster’ visits are on a decline whereas ‘Spotify’ has a steady visitor count however it cannot compare to that of iTunes who had a near 1,500,000 more visitors in the month of August.

When a customer wishes to download or purchase anything from the iTunes Store the process is carried out through the iTunes application on the users Mac, PC, iPod or iPhone through which you can shop 24/7, however not before creating an ‘iTunes Store Account.’

To create an account, users must simply complete an online form which they can find by clicking, ‘Store’ and ‘Create Account’. Once here it is important that users read through and agree to the iTunes Store Terms and Conditions and once complete click continue. Next users will then be asked to complete the online form in order to create their free Apple ID by providing the necessary information such as you name and billing address as well as providing a valid payment method such as a credit card. Once the form is complete the user will now have their own unique Apple ID which is required for login when using the iTunes Store.

Having created a unique Apple ID, users can then begin shopping from the iTunes Store. Once the iTunes Store is opened, users can see a page full of items such as, the charts, new releases, items of the week, what iTunes thinks you might like based on previous searches or purchases and much more. From here you ca browse around or if you know what it is you are looking for you can use the quick search facility it the top right hand corner of the iTunes Store homepage. Once you have found what you are looking for you can then listen or watch a 30 second preview of a song or video by clicking the small ‘Play’ button that appears to the left hand side of the item. If however you want to purchase this item you can simply click the buy button next to the item which also gives the price of the item. Once clicked you will be prompted to enter your Apple ID and password to confirm the purchase and the item will immediately stare downloading to your purchased folder in your iTunes player.

With the iPod touch and iPhone becoming more popular by the day many more people are out buying them to stay in with today’s trends which will help boost the iTunes Store usage as more people have access to its facilities within their back pocket. With both 02 and Orange who are soon to stock the iPhone this coming Christmas as well as Vodafone who have signed to the deal of stocking the iPhone at some stage next year, more customers will be willing to buy the iPhone being the fastest most powerful phone around, as it will be available in not two but three mobile networks therefore inviting even more customers to use the iTunes Store application service. I feel this is a market that will continue to grow significantly over time as not only is it through the use of the iPhone but Mac, PC and iPod touch users can all access and make use of the e-commerce media service which again will help boost the sales figures of the company.

References:

http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/itunes.com

http://siteanalytics.compete.com/itunes.com+napster.com+spotify.com/

http://www.quarkbase.com/itunes.com

http://www.google.com/trends?q=itunes%2C+napster%2C+spotify&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all&sort=0

Week 2 – E-Commerce Fundamentals October 1, 2009

‘Apple iTunes,’ my chosen website, was introduced to the world in January 2001 as a free electronic media player enabling users to organise and play their very own digital music and video files. iTunes is the most advanced media player to date as not only can it synchronise media with an iPod or iPhone but it has its very own online ‘iTunes Store’ which connects via the Internet allowing users to download and purchase almost anything media related. What more could anyone ask for out of a simple media player, iTunes has absolutely everything you need to keep you entertained and caught up with the latest songs or movies in the charts as well as being able to browse and organise with ease.

Apple has employed over 75,000 staff worldwide since it was established, however there are no specific figures for iTunes employees alone, yet it does suggest an astonishing amount of business for ‘Apple’ who now have over 50 million iTunes Store customers. As of September 2009 over 8.5 billion songs have been downloaded since the launch of the iTunes store in 2003, which is approximately 88% of online music sales making it the biggest and most successful media retailer in the world, despite the fact that the online store sells, movies, TV programmes, applications and much more for the Apple iPod products.

iTunes has no high street shop into which customers can walk and browse for specific media, as it would simply defeat the purpose of why the store was set up online. New iTunes customers can create an online account for buying media related products whilst browsing the store from the comfort of their own home by clicking on whatever they would like to purchase from the store. The iTunes Store is not only accessible from a Mac or PC but from the iPod touch and iPhone making the store accessible almost anywhere in the world at anytime.

Week 1 – Statistcs of UK Internet Usage (2006-2008) September 25, 2009

For my first assignment I have been asked to research the “Statistics of Internet Usage within the UK from 2006-2008″ and write up a report on my findings. Having carried out my research I was astonished to see exactly how much of the UK population actually connect to the internet on a regular basis.

Throughout recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of internet users. It has been estimated that almost 1.3 millions residents of the UK have come online for the first time since 2007, let alone those who have joined and continue to join each and everyday whether it be for their own personal use or for business usage.

The chart above shows that in 2006, just over 55% of households were connected to the internet, however a near 18.3 million (70%) were connected by 2009 meaning an increase of around 14% of UK household have come online in the last four years. Figures also show that an average of around 8 million (35%) of all households are still without an internet connection simply because household owners say they have no interest in using the internet or because they cannot afford to buy a computer.

It was seen that not so long ago people were not in the slightest bit concerned about not having access to the internet simply because it was an overpriced unnecessary luxury. Nowadays however many of us couldn’t do without having access to the internet simply because users have everything they need right at their fingertips.

Another way which has helped boost the amount of internet users is the introduction of internet connection through data exchange such as Bluetooth and WiFi hotspots and now with most mobile phones and handheld technologies equip with an internet connection, users have access right in their back pocket almost anywhere at anytime.

Having carried out this research I found it very interesting to see just exactly how internet usage has dramatically increased over recent years. The question is, “Will the entire UK population one day be connected to the internet?” I guess only time will tell.

References:

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=8

http://www.internetworldstats.com/eu/uk.htm

http://www.mso.net/New-figures-released-on-internet-use