The Webcertain search and social report 2022 has been published!
It provides the very latest internet penetration, internet speed, device usage, search engine, social media, e-commerce and digital marketing stats and facts for 54 countries worldwide.
There are plenty of fascinating insights in there for international digital marketers to absorb, and this blog post will look at our top ten!
1. The countries with the fastest internet speeds
There are some countries with internet speeds that are blisteringly fast!
Singapore has the fastest median broadband speed out of all countries in the report, at 194.07 MB per second.
The UAE has the fastest median mobile internet speed out of all countries in the report, at 133.51 MB per second.
2. The country where people spend the most time online
South African internet users spend the most time online out of all countries in the report. The average South African internet user clocks up a whopping 10 hours and 46 minutes online every day!
3. It is quackers! The rise of DuckDuckGo
You have heard of “Googling”, but have you “DuckDuckGo-ed” anything recently? DuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine, and it is seeing a steady rise in popularity, especially in Europe.
It is now the third-most popular search engine in Australia, Austria, Croatia, Finland, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland!
4. Ecosia plants its roots in Germany
Ecosia is another lesser-known search engine that is seeing growth. It is an environmentally-friendly search engine that uses its ad revenue to plant trees!
It is now the third-most popular search engine in Germany. Whilst it does not have a huge market share at the moment, its third-place ranking nevertheless shows that environmentalism is something that resonates with German consumers.
5. The multilingual countries where you need to think about language
Be aware that Belgium, Canada, India, South Africa and Switzerland are all multilingual countries.
Always conduct research into which language is spoken by your target audience/region so that you can create your content in the most appropriate language that will bring you the best results.
Translation, localisation and copywriting should always be done by a professional native speaker.
6. The special legal requirement for your German website
Be aware that your German website is legally required to have an “Impressum” page.
The Impressum must be easy to access and provide the user with information including your business’ name, address, contact information, German trade register number or equivalent, VAT/business identification number, information on your board of directors, and more.
Failure to have an Impressum on your German website can lead to fines of up to €50,000 – a costly mistake!
7. The importance of “Made in Italy” to Italian consumers
Be aware that many Italians prefer to buy “Made in Italy” products as opposed to foreign brands when given the choice, especially when it comes to food, fashion, design, craftsmanship, manufacturing and engineering.
If your products fall into any of these categories, you should therefore be aware that competition in the country may be very fierce.
Do not let that put you off, though; so long as you have a unique selling point that sets you apart from the crowd, there could well be a place for you in the market.
8. The top social networks in China
The Chinese social media landscape looks totally different from anywhere else in the world. WeChat is the most popular social platform, followed by Douyin, QQ, Baidu Tieba and Weibo!
The most popular, WeChat, is sometimes nicknamed China’s “super app” due to its huge range of functions. Within WeChat, it is possible to message friends, share photos, order takeaways, book tickets, book hotel rooms, shop online, order professional services, leave business reviews, donate to charities, pay utility bills and that barely scratches the surface.
Looking at the other popular social networks, Douyin is the Chinese version of TikTok, QQ is an instant messaging platform, Baidu Tieba is a content-oriented discussion forum, and Weibo is a microblogging platform comparable to Twitter.
9. The top social network in South Korea
The most popular social platform in South Korea is KakaoTalk, so you should strongly consider including it in your local social strategy!
KakaoTalk is a messenger app that allows users to engage in text, voice and video chat. Users can also upload photos, videos and music to their profiles, get organised with the calendar feature, and get access to exclusive coupons and deals from brands.
Brands can create business pages on KakaoTalk that have feeds just like Facebook where people can like, share and comment on their posts. Display advertising is available for brands on KakaoTalk.
10. Vietnam’s very own local platforms
Vietnam has an interesting digital landscape with several homegrown players!
One of the most popular social platforms in Vietnam is Zalo, with a penetration rate of 91%, so consider including it in your local social strategy. Zalo is a messaging platform that allows users to communicate via text, voice and video, as well as search for friends and brands. Businesses can open an official account, which allows you to publish content and provide customer support via message, voice call and chatbot. There are also various advertising and e-commerce features available.
Vietnam also has its own homegrown search engine, CocCoc, which accounts for around 1 in 20 searches in the country. CocCoc describes its mission as “making Vietnamese people happier by making the most of the digital world’s potential”.
I hope this blog post has given you a useful introduction to the current global digital marketing landscape. For more in-depth information on 54 countries, check out the Webcertain search and social report 2022 now!
Elin Box
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