Consumers’ initial online activities as they start their day give us insight into their overall priorities and motivations as consumers. Understanding their personal focus—whether it be business, social, or news, as well as the lens through which they access their first online content every day—provides valuable insight into the most effective ways to meet consumers where they are.
Overall, 71% of German consumers check email first thing in the morning. In distant second and third places, consumers choose Facebook (13%) and news sites (5%) as their first early morning online activity. It’s important to keep in mind that while email may be their first go-to place, this does not mean that consumers do not also check Facebook, Twitter, news sites, and search portals frequently. Email is simply the first priority when consumers start their digital days.
In studying early morning digital trends across the globe, priorities seem to be consistent from country to country. Email represents a more formal medium of online communication and helps people set priorities for their days. Thus, it’s where most consumers choose to start their morning.
As with a number of the trends we’ll discuss in this report, the place people go first online varies across age groups. Research shows that the younger the consumer, the more likely they are to gravitate to social or entertainment channels such as Facebook, Twitter, news sites, etc. Still, email is the most common initial check-in of the digital day across
every age group—including 18-24 year olds (43% of 18-24 year olds start their day with email compared to 40% who start their digital day with Facebook.)
HOW consumers access their first online content of the day is also important:
- 71% use their personal computer
- 11% use their mobile phone
- 8% wait until they arrive at work or school
Not surprisingly, how people perform this initial “digital morning check” is also influenced by age. While smartphones are quickly becoming commonplace (55% of online Germans own a smartphone), many consumers are still waiting until they have access to a personal computer to conduct their initial digital check-in. But we’re starting to see a shift—26% of 18-24 year olds reach for their mobile phones first thing in the morning. This suggests that it may be time for marketers to start optimizing for mobile experiences.
Understanding where your consumers start their day will help you identify how and when your audience will be most receptive to marketing messages, as well as how you should craft the content and tone of your messages.
To download ExactTarget’s Digital Republic research report, click here.
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