Digital 2023 Global Overview Report: An Insight Into The APAC Trends

There has been a massive shift in digital behaviors across the world over the last one year. The changes that we saw in 2022 were even more profound than the ones we saw during the pandemic years. These changes are evolving in many unexpected ways.

To take stock of these changes, Datareportal, along with Meltwater and We Are Social, came up with the Digital 2023 Global Overview Report, which takes a deep look at what people are doing on the internet, social media, online shopping platforms, and mobile devices. Thus, the report offers massive insights into the ever-evolving consumer behavior, thereby, helping brands shape their marketing strategies, accordingly.

Here are the major highlights of the report with regard to findings from the APAC region.

1. Internet Adoption

While Ireland, Norway, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE rank at the very top of the list with respect to the highest number of internet users as a percentage of their total population, APAC countries aren’t too behind.

South Korea leads the pack with 97.6% of its population using the internet. Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia are the next three countries with the maximum percentage of internet users at 96.9%, 96.8%, and 96.2%, respectively.

Among the Southeast Asian countries, the Philippines, China, and Indonesia have the least percentage of internet users at 73.1%, 73.7%, and 77.0%, respectively.

2. Daily Time Spent Using the Internet

As far as the daily time spent on the internet is concerned, the Philippines tops the list among APAC countries with Filipinos spending an average of 9 hours and 14 minutes online, every day. This is significantly lower than the 10 hours and 56 minutes spent by them per day in 2021.

Malaysia and Thailand share the second spot with respect to the most time spent online in the APAC region at 8 hours and 6 minutes, each. Incidentally, the Japanese spend the least number of hours online every day with an average time of 3 hours and 45 minutes.

3. Streaming TV Content Via the Internet

GWI’s data reveals that more than 9 in 10 working-age internet users stream TV content and movies over the internet. Therefore, there isn’t much scope for adoption rates to grow any further.

The Filipinos, at 97.9%, top the list not only in the APAC but globally too with regard to streaming TV content via the internet. Indians (97.5%) and Vietnamese (96.2%) follow closely behind. Japan again lies at the bottom of the list with only 69% of Japanese streaming TV content over the internet.

4. Digital Ad Spend Per Internet User

Digital ad spending per internet user was the highest in the US in 2022 with brands spending nearly $880 per internet user to reach online audiences in the US. Australia was a distant third globally and the first in the APAC with regard to digital ad spend per internet user at $446 per internet user. Singapore and Japan, each with a digital ad spend of $274 per internet user, were joint second.

Brands spent only $12.01 per internet user in Indonesia, which was the lowest among Southeast Asian countries. India, with a digital ad spend of $5.26 per user had the lowest spending among APAC countries.

5. Daily Time Spent Using Mobiles

In 2022, an average mobile user spent over 5 hours using their phone, which is a 2.4% increase from the previous year.

Indonesians spent roughly 5 hours 39 minutes on their phones every day on average, which means that they spent not only the most time on their phones among APAC countries but also globally. Singaporeans spent 5 hours and 18 minutes on their phones every day on average.

Chinese spent only 3 hours and 33 minutes on their phones every day, which was much lower than the global average of 5 hours and 1 minute.

Bottom Line

With consumer behaviors evolving all the time, marketing strategies will also have to be updated accordingly. The findings of this report can help brands shape their marketing approach in a way that is in line with the users’ content consumption patterns. These tactics can go a long way in ensuring that brands spend their time and resources on only the most effective marketing tactics and strategies for maximum results.

To delve deeper into the findings of the report, access the full report here.