第1回富士通総研インターネットユーザー調査

JAPANESE

Fujitsu Research Institute compiles results of Internet user survey
-- Trend is toward "passive" usage, pursuit of personal interests --

Survey goals

Internet use, once limited to technically-oriented enthusiasts, is rapidly spreading to the general consumer population. Distinct patterns in both attitudes towards the Internet and reasons for use are now emerging as a growing number of consumers come online.

The FRI survey was implemented for the purpose of discovering the following:

- Demographic characteristics and Internet service usage patterns on the part of relatively new users

- User segmentation by reason for use and active/passive orientation

Summary of results

Demographics of relatively new users

- Use of Internet by full-time housewives grows

Use of the Internet by housewives in Japan became apparent around April of 1996. In the latest FRI survey, 18.0% of those respondents who have been using the Internet since April of 1997 were full-time housewives. Moreover, women accounted for 41.4% of all users who have been online during this time. The results show that the women and housewife segments have been growing amid an Internet user market that initially was overwhelmingly dominated by men.

- The general trend is toward use of the Internet as a medium of entertainment and enjoyment of personal interests

Of those respondents who began using the Internet before March of 1994, 38.2% said they go online primarily for entertainment or to indulge personal interests. In contrast, 61.8% of those who have been online since April of 1997 go online primarily for entertainment or to pursue personal interests. For relatively new users, use of the Internet for entertainment or as a hobby is now more common than use for purposes of work or study.

Use of different Internet services

- Web sites of interest are located primarily via search engines and e-mail newsletter services

Search engines were the most common method for seeking out Web sites of interest, cited by 51.1% of all respondents. E-mail newsletters were next at 19.1%, followed by Web site links (12.0%) and newspaper/magazine articles and television features (7.3%).

- Internet shopping gets underway

A total of 40.2% of all respondents had online shopping experience. A total of 42.2% said that while they have not yet shopped online, they would like to try Internet shopping at some point in the future. A breakdown by sex showed that 42.1% of men and 33.7% of women have shopped on the Internet.

- Students are most likely to have personal home pages

A total of 20.9% of all respondents had personal Web sites. A breakdown by occupation showed that students were most likely to have personal Web pages (37.6%). Respondents with personal Web sites tended to spend long periods of time online seeking entertainment or pursuing personal interests, and tend to be "active information generators" who make frequent use of mailing lists and other "active" services.

Segmentation by purpose of use and by active/passive orientation

- The four key user types

Japan's Internet users can be segmented into four basic types using two measures that can be thought of as continuums or axes: purpose of use (work or study versus entertainment or personal interest), and active/passive orientation (those who simply browse Web pages or subscribe to and read mailing lists versus those who actively build their own Web pages and/or submit comments to mailing lists or participate in forums).

The four basic user types and the portions of the sample they account for are as follows:

Information Elite (13.8%), oriented toward active use of the Internet for work

Model Japanese Businessman (17.7%), oriented toward passive use of the Internet for work

Internet Enthusiasts (26.0%), oriented toward active use for entertainment or personal interests

Future Mass Market (42.6%), oriented toward passive use for entertainment or personal interests

- Differences between the four basic types

Information Elite users were characterized by early and frequent use of the Internet (38.2%), while Future Mass Market users are primarily new users (67.1%). Moreover, access behavior on the part of Information Elite and Future Mass Market users differs greatly. For example, 53.3% of Information Elite users have online shopping experience, whereas only 38.2% of Future Mass Market Users have such experience. In addition, Information Elite users are interested primarily in Web sites that deal with business and computers, while Future Mass Market users tend to select sites that deal with giveaways, entertainment and travel.

Suggestions for corporations considering business uses of the Internet

As the above segmentation analysis shows, Internet users no longer comprise one demographic segment that can be considered as a single market. Corporations considering use of the Internet as a business mechanism for targeting consumers will need to develop segment-specific marketing strategies and response/fulfillment mechanisms that take into account the different behaviors demonstrated by the four user types.

In particular, the Future Mass Market users were the least likely of all four segments to believe in the necessity of using the World Wide Web: 33.0% started using the Internet "because it's trendy." This suggests that this segment is not necessarily convinced of the value of Internet usage. Therefore the ability to develop these users into "customers" for Internet and related services in the future will depend upon a company's ability to provide recognizable value in terms of interesting content, convenience and tangible benefits. And since Future Mass Market users will become the mainstay of the Internet user market of the future, the key to business success is likely to be providing services compelling to this segment today.

Survey methodology

The FRI survey made use of the iMiNet e-mail-based marketing service. A total of 1,500 users were extracted from the iMiNet membership database of approximately 50,000 users, and sent an e-mail questionnaire on September 1. A total of 1,323 responses were received by September 8, for a response rate of 88.2%.

- Targeted audience: World Wide Web users

- Survey period: September 1-September 8, 1997

- Survey methodology: e-mail questionnaire

- Sample size: 1,323 (valid response rate of 88.2%)

About the Fujitsu Research Institute

The Tokyo-based Fujitsu Research Institute was established in June of 1986 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Ltd. As a think tank, it provides research and management consulting services aimed at contributing to society at large.

iMiNet

The iMiNet service used for this survey is a new type of e-mail-based marketing media tool developed by Fujitsu. It is used to conduct research and provide direct mail promotions via e-mail to Internet and Nifty-Serve users who have voluntarily registered to participate in the service (there were 63,000 registrants as of October 1997). iMiNet, which stands for Internet Marketing Interface Network, is a one-to-one medium that makes possible direct dialog between corporations and consumers.

For more information contact:

J.usui,FUJITSU RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Phone: +81-3-5401-8397(Tokyo Japan)
e-mail:usuij@fri.fujitsu.co.jp

Internet User Survey 2nd