The digital landscape is changing in Australia – where we are, and where we’re going
There’s no doubt that social media is now at the forefront of marketing, consumerism and everyday life. We’ve collated the most recent stats for Australia that reflect the surge of social media and internet usage in 2023.
At ROI, we like to step back every now and then to look at the bigger picture. We like to ask: how is the broader digital landscape changing? Here, we’ve put together a general summary of Internet usage in Australia.
Australian Internet Statistics
As of January 2023, the number of internet users in Australia had risen by approximately 5.6 million, from 18.3 million users in 2013 to around 23.9 million users in 2023, constituting 91% of the Australian population. The number of internet users rose steadily over the time period. [1]
Source: Australian Internet Statistics 2023 (https://prosperitymedia.com.au/australian-internet-statistics/)
The amount of Internet subscribers has begun to slow in recent years, suggesting the market is close to saturation. However, while there are signs of it slowing, the amount of data Australians are consuming continues to outgrow the number of subscribers. [2]
Source: https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/mf/8153.0
In 2023, Internet users in Australia spend an average of 5 hours 51 minutes per day using internet services, approximately 3 hours 53 minutes viewing streaming services and internet broadcasts, ~1 hour 39 minutes streaming music, and ~2 hours using social media. Daily time spent with media continue increasing. [3]
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Source: DIGITAL 2023 AUSTRALIA: ONLINE LIKE NEVER BEFORE (https://www.businessinsider.com.au/the-massive-australian-mobile-industry-2013-9)
Australian Social Media Statistics
Social media is now an integral part of Australian society, with 21.3 million active users of social media (81% of the total population) as of January 2023. 1 in every 3 minutes online is spent on social media.[2]
Analysis reveals that social media users in Australia increased by 265 thousand (+1.2 percent) between 2019 and 2023. [2]
With 73.6% of social media users still hopping on, Facebook is still the most used platform in Australia, followed by Facebook Messenger with 62.9% and Instagram with 55.5%. [3]
Pinterest’s advertising resources indicate that Pinterest had 3.45 million users in Australia in early 2023. Pinterest’s ad reach in Australia was equivalent to 13.1 percent of the total population at the start of the year. [4]
Source: DIGITAL 2023 AUSTRALIA: ONLINE LIKE NEVER BEFORE (https://www.businessinsider.com.au/the-massive-australian-mobile-industry-2013-9)
Australian Mobile Phone Statistics
The widespread adoption of smartphones and the growing prevalence of affordable mobile data plans means that mobile devices are likely to become an increasingly important factor in Australians’ internet consumption.
Source: Smartphone penetration rate as share of the population in Australia in 2017 with an estimate until 2026 (https://www.statista.com/statistics/321477/smartphone-user-penetration-in-australia/)
Australia has the second-highest smartphone penetration rate in the world. In 2017, 81 percent of the Australian population used a smartphone and the share was estimated to reach around 87 percent by 2026. This represents just over 23.6 million smartphone users across the country. With the uprising of 5G networks, along with advancements in mobile technology, the way Australians use smartphones may change in the near future. [5]
In 2009, only 0.7% of web traffic worldwide was generated through mobile phones. In 2023, mobile accounted for 51.98% of all web traffic generated worldwide.[2]
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Search Engine Statistics
Google is another major factor in how Australians experience the Internet. Google is by far the most used search engine in Australia, holding a market share of 94.56% as of May 2023, followed by Bing with 3.65%, Yahoo! with 0.8% and DuckDuckGo with 0.6%. [2] 93% of online experiences begin with search engines[6] and 75% of Google users never scroll past the first page of search results.[7] Google’s ranking algorithm thus has a major impact on what websites Australians access, and is of great concern to Australian businesses. With almost all online experiences beginning with a search engine, SEO is a crucial part of any marketing strategy you need a great SEO Agency to win in the SERPs.
Trends and Predictions
The increased use of mobile search and the introduction of voice assistants like ‘Alexa’ and ‘Google Home’, has contributed to growing numbers of users searching Google with ‘voice search’. Voice search is already having a major impact on SEO. In fact, today, current statistics show that 41% of adults use voice search at least once per day and that number is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years.[8] Voice searches tend to be quite different from typed queries, as they often use more conversational expression. For example, 70% of searches on Google assistant use ’natural language’.
Gartner reports that by 2030, 30% of web browsing sessions will be done without a screen.[9] The way that this new digital frontier will operate is so far unclear, though one can be sure that businesses and websites will rapidly begin adapting their services to facilitate direct dialogue with their customers.
The recent development of Google’s ’Duplex’ AI system, with the ability to conduct natural conversations, reflects Silicon Valley’s pivot toward utilizing human speech to effectively browse online.
Gartner also predicts that augmented reality (AR) will become an increasingly important component in E-commerce. AR software blurs the line between the real and digital worlds, allowing customers to better inspect products before they purchase them. The combination of advanced conversational AI and allowing digital customers to physically inspect products in 3-D space could spell the end for many brick and mortar retail businesses.
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Opportunities – ROI can help
The opportunity and threat that new technology poses for traditional modes of business; Australian businesses should remain vigilant and maintain efforts to remain digitally relevant. We only need to reflect on how the Taxi industry transformed in such a short time.
Digital marketing strategies are essential for conducting business in the 21st century. If you would like to have one of our expert team discuss how these trends are impacting your business, call us on 1300 650 274
Ewan Watt
Founder & CEO – ROI Growth Agency
1300 650 274