STUDY: NEW BOXES WILL MAKE HOME NET USE SOAR
By Adnews Staff
New TV-Internet devices being launched in North America will cause a huge growth in home Internet use, but most businesses aren't ready for it, according to a North American study done by Research Dimensions of Boston and Toronto. The new devices, which cost about $350(US), could blast home Internet use from its current 7% to 8% to over 40% over the next year. Even without seeing, touching or sampling the product, 54% of respondents showed high interest in the IDEA, and 33.2% said they would likely buy one in the next 12 months. Seventy-six per cent felt the price of the machine was a good value. Awareness of the Internet among non-users was 93%. The study was done for Bratch Goehrum Business Innovation of Toronto and New York. A companion study done by the agency reviewed 104 business Web sites, but gave only 33% of them a passing grade. The survey covered 16 business sectors and most failed in at least one of several assessment criteria: content, functionality, customer experience and business integration. The best results were scored by the telecommunications industry and the courier/delivery industry. The worst results were from the travel and retail business sectors.