Report Reveals One Million New People Came Online Daily in 2018

We all know the digital world is growing. But have you ever wondered how much?

It just so happens that the Digital 2019 Report from Hootsuite and We Are Social has the answer.

According to the annual report, which looks at digital trends and social media use across 230 countries and territories, 2018 saw massive growth in the number of internet users — 360 million people came online for the first time last year. Think of it this way: more than one million new people came online every day in 2018.

That means that 57% of the world’s population is now connected to the internet.

That also means there are significant opportunities for small businesses.

How to make the most of those opportunities? Here’s a look at some of the key takeaways from the report.

More Time Online

As more people start using the internet, more time is being spent online.

The average internet user now spends more six and a half hours online each day. While that amount is down slightly from last year’s figure of six hours and 49 minutes, it’s still a massive chunk of time spent online daily. An average of six and a half hours per day equates to more than 100 days of online time each year for every internet user.

And here’s something even more startling: when you apply the average time spent online across the world’s digital community, it means that the world will spend a combined total of more than 1.2 billion years online this year.

Yes, you read that right: 1.2 BILLION YEARS. And that’s only for 2019.

People are using the internet for everything from researching and shopping to keeping in contact with others and reading the news.

So if you’re among the 46% of small businesses that still don’t have a website, you might want to make that a priority for 2019. Without one, there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself struggling to remain relevant in the increasingly digital landscape.

Social Media Use

Unsurprisingly, social media is a major focus among internet users.

According to the report, there are nearly 3.5 billion active social media users around the world. That total is up by 9% compared to 2017 figures and represents 45% of the total global population.

“Although social media came under increased scrutiny and saw diminished trust among users in 2018, people around the world are spending more time on social — the global daily average is now 2 hours and 16 minutes, or one-seventh of their waking lives,” Penny Wilson, CMO of Hootsuite, stated in a press release.

So just where are people spending their time on social media? Despite a turbulent year filled with controversy, Facebook maintains its top platform ranking, and it doesn’t look like that will change anytime soon. In spite of news that people were leaving Facebook in droves following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the report found that Facebook’s monthly active users grew by almost 10% in the past year.

Coming in at number two is YouTube, which is set to be the next social media platform to surpass the two billion user mark. But the messaging platform WhatsApp isn’t too far behind, taking the third spot with 1.5 billion users.

And while Instagram comes in further down the list with approximately one billion active accounts, its growth rate is skyrocketing. In the last three months of 2018, Instagram grew by an impressive 38 million active users.

Social media is a powerful tool. It’s not only a way to advertise services and products but also plays a useful role when it comes to corporate social responsibility, which is increasingly important for businesses.

But being on social media isn’t enough to stand out; brands need to get creative and adapt to changing preferences and attitudes.

Messaging

We already mentioned the growth of WhatsApp, but that’s not the only relevant messaging platform.

Use of messaging apps has increased across the board. The top messaging apps — WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, QQ, and Skype — now collectively count nearly five billion monthly active users. And that’s something businesses should keep in mind. The report notes that the “core challenge is scaling one-to-one customer interactions on social.”

It makes sense that as more people use messaging apps, the desire to engage with businesses via those platforms will also increase.

Already, 90% of customers want to communicate with brands through messaging platforms, but less than half of businesses around the world are equipped for that.

For small businesses that want to focus on improving communication with customers, using messaging platforms could give an edge that sets them apart from the competition.

Ecommerce

Of course, we can’t talk about an increase in internet use without mentioning ecommerce.

In 2018, more than 2.8 billion people shopped online, up 3.1% from 2017. What’s particularly interesting is that of the 75% of internet users who made an online purchase in the past month, 55% did so from mobile devices.

There’s no question that mobile commerce is on the rise and, as Simon Kemp, the report’s author notes, “playing an increasingly important role in the lives of people all across the globe.” And for small businesses that means there are revenue opportunities for those that implement mobile-friendly sites.

Also interesting is that the report found more and more ecommerce is happening on social, with users enjoying the convenience and simplicity of purchasing directly from their social feeds. Plus, content shared by others on social media has the most influence for inspiring purchases — ranking higher than retailer websites, emails, and blogs.

If you’re wondering where people are spending their money online, according to the report, “fashion and beauty” led the way, with $524.9 billion spent around the world last year on items in this category.

The report makes one thing abundantly clear: small businesses that aren’t online and using social media aren’t where their customers are. Going digital isn’t just important for small businesses, it’s now essential. And those that resist adapting to changing consumer behaviors will find that’s a sure-fire way to lose revenue and relevance.