Internet usage in European markets

LONDON, UK: comScore, Inc, a leader in measuring the digital world, has released an overview of internet usage in Europe, showing 376.6 million unique visitors went online in October 2011 for an average of 27.8 hours per person.
Internet usage in European markets

This study highlights internet usage in 49 European markets aggregated into the European region and provides individual reporting on 18 markets. The study also analysed the online behaviour of mothers, defined as females age 25 and older with children in the household, showing their heavy propensity to visit retail sites.

Retail sites resonate with British mums

A demographic analysis of UK mothers (females age 25 and older with at least one child under 18 in the household) showed that they are 82% more likely to visit Retail Toys sites (index of 182) than the average internet user, making it the top indexing category amongst this consumer segment. Several retail categories, such as Flowers/Gifts/Greetings and Fragrances/Cosmetics, also made the top 10 with indices of 167 and 164, respectively.

Top 10 Site-Categories for Mothers by Composition Index of Unique Visitors* October 2011 Total United Kingdom: Mothers** (Home and Work Locations) Source: (comScore Media Metrix)
Composition Index* Total Unique Visitors (000)
Total Internet : Mothers 100 5,400
Retail - Toys 182 915
Services - E-cards 179 343
Retail - Flowers/Gifts/Greetings 167 877
Retail - Fragrances/Cosmetics 164 699
Community - Pets 157 607
Entertainment - Kids 153 2,214
Travel - Transactions 150 724
Retail - Department Stores 145 2,122
Retail - Home Furnishings 145 1,676
Retail - Health Care 144 513

*Composition Index = % of "Mum" Visitors to Category/% of Total Internet Users to Category x 100; Index of 100 indicates average representation.
** Females age 25+ with at least 1 child under the age of 18 living in the household.

Fastest growing properties in Europe

Google Sites was the top online destination in Europe in October 2011, attracting 346 million unique visitors, or 92% of the total European internet audience. A look at the fastest growing online properties over the past month shows that online video destination Vimeo had the fastest audience growth, increasing 49% to 18.4 million visitors. For the second consecutive month EA Online appeared in the top 5, growing by 30% from September to October, nearly double its 16% growth rate between August and September.

Top 15 Fastest Growing Properties* in Europe by Total Unique Visitors (000) September 2011 vs. October 2011 Total Europe Audience, Age 15+, Home and Work Locations Source: (comScore Media Metrix)
Total Unique Visitors (000)
Sep-2011 Oct-2011 % Change
Total Internet Audience: Age 15+ 373,433 376,644 1
Vimeo 12,367 18,374 49
Rakuten Inc 14,564 20,925 44
METRO Group 12,473 16,243 30
RCS Media Group 15,347 19,915 30
EA Online 15,336 19,635 28
New York Times Digital 19,351 23,818 23
Apple Inc. 74,376 87,058 17
Shopzilla.com Sites 14,372 16,747 17
Otto Gruppe 29,578 33,945 15
Ask Network 62,932 72,189 15
Wikia Sites 14,332 16,398 14
Guardian Media Group 13,792 15,618 13
Spil Games 20,437 23,140 13
IDG Network 19,658 22,182 13
Ucoz Web Services 31,162 35,067 13

*Amongst the top 100 online properties

European Internet usage by country - European internet audience more engaged

Below is a snapshot of European internet usage in the 18 markets for which comScore provides individual reporting. The average user spent 27.8 hours online in Europe during the month, considerably longer than the global average of 24.6 hours per visitor. The number of internet users in Russia grew 1.6% since September as the market remained the largest in Europe for the second consecutive month.

Overview of European Internet Usage by Country Ranked by Total Unique Visitors (000) October 2011 Total Europe Audience, Age 15+, Home and Work Locations Source: (comScore Media Metrix)
Total Internet
Total Unique Visitors (000) Average Hours per Visitor Average Pages per Visitor
World-Wide 1,431,939 24.6 2,402
Europe 376,644 27.8 3,013
Russian Federation 51,641 24.4 2,664
Germany 50,704 25.4 2,967
France 42,520 28.3 2,957
United Kingdom 37,404 37.5 3,510
Italy 23,986 19.1 2,132
Turkey 23,234 33.4 4,017
Spain 21,382 28.3 2,475
Poland 18,193 26.7 3,189
Netherlands 11,987 35.5 3,562
Sweden 6,219 26.5 2,761
Belgium 6,047 20.4 2,282
Switzerland 4,764 19.5 2,121
Austria 4,733 15.0 1,720
Portugal 4,263 21.6 2,240
Denmark 3,676 23.5 2,483
Finland 3,381 26.2 2,633
Norway 3,264 29.2 2,703
Ireland 2,349 21.4 2,139

Source: comScore

comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and the preferred source of digital marketing intelligence.

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