17 Highlights from Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends 2019 Report
Mary Meeker released her popular Internet Trends 2019 report last week, revealing some of the current trends in the Internet and technology space. We sifted through 333 slides this year to summarise what we think is relevant to the mobile and SMS space.
Here’s the full slide deck in case you’re interested.
1) Majority of people use a second device while watching TV
If your business advertises on TV, it may worth looking at how you can also leverage mobile devices to create unique and personalised experiences.
Source: Mary Meeker Internet Trends 2019 Report - Slide 38
2) Daily time spent on mobile surpasses TV
Time spent on mobile devices surpasses TV time in the USA for the first time.
Source: Mary Meeker Internet Trends 2019 Report - Slide 46
3) Businesses spending more on mobile advertising
Businesses spent 22% more on mobile advertising in 2018 than the year before. Desktop advertising remains overall consistent.
Source: Mary Meeker Internet Trends 2019 Report - Slide 23
4) Percentage gap between time spent on a mobile device and ad spend closed
In 2017, the percentage of time spent on mobile devices exceeded the percentage of advertising spend on mobile by 3% (29% versus 26%). In 2018, this gap closed (both at 33%).
Source: Mary Meeker Internet Trends 2019 Report - Slide 22
5) Digital media consumption via mobile continues to shine
U.S. adults continue to consume more and more digital media. Most of it comes from mobile devices and other connected devices. Desktop continues to drop.
Source: Mary Meeker Internet Trends 2019 Report - Slide 41
6) eCommerce continues to thrive
eCommerce sales in the US continue to grow, almost hitting $140 billion in the Q1 this year, even higher than Q4 last year during the holiday season—a 12.4% increase.
Source: Mary Meeker Internet Trends 2019 Report - Slide 18
eCommerce sales are 15% of total retail sales in 2018, growing steadily from 8% in 2012.
7) Regulators and businesses continue to improve consumer privacy control
Regulators now mandate privacy rules while companies now provide more transparency and user-controlled privacy, account security, and data collection.
Source: Mary Meeker Internet Trends 2019 Report - Slide 167
8) Most payments made digitally
Gone are the days when people were afraid of using their credit cards online. As digital payments become increasingly simple, easy, and flexible, it’s no surprise that 59% of all transactions were digital in 2018.
Source: Mary Meeker Internet Trends 2019 Report - Slide 120
9) Images are worth a thousand words
Images tell stories and create conversations. That’s what makes online platforms like Instagram so popular. Instead of personal stories, it’s evolving into a platform to share business stories to help sell products. Keep an eye out for MMS as another channel for businesses to share images, stories, and products.
Source: Mary Meeker Internet Trends 2019 Report - Slide 79
10) People are more aware of their mobile usage from wellness and time tracking features
Major companies now provide transparency and awareness on consumer habits and usages through their software, which helps consumers slowly rethink their daily digital media consumption.
Source: Mary Meeker Internet Trends 2019 Report - Slide 163
11) The wearable market in the US has more than doubled in 4 years
Digital well-being is an integral part of the global health and wellness trend, with wearable technology becoming the hallmark for health tracking and fitness accountability.
As the internet becomes noisier and people become more aware of their digital well-being, short and concise messaging like SMS (160 character limit) will stand the test of time, especially since wearables can only display so much with their limited screen size.
Source: Mary Meeker Internet Trends 2019 Report - Slide 52
12) On-Demand consumers have more than doubled in 2 years
The rapid growth of the on-demand economy implies that the market is gaining widespread traction across mainstream consumers and not only for early adopters. Consumers’ demand for added convenience on platforms that are user-friendly and safe are higher than ever. As convenience is becoming the norm, companies will have to look for ways to provide both timely and personalised experience to win over their customers.
Source: Mary Meeker Internet Trends 2019 Report - Slide 54
13) Internet advertising platforms continue to grow in the US
Google and Facebook are the big two but don’t forget about the other platforms, which aren’t shy of growth.
Source: Mary Meeker Internet Trends 2019 Report - Slide 25
14) Internet users flocking to YouTube and Instagram
Daily active users for YouTube and Instagram growing at the most rapid rate.
Source: Mary Meeker Internet Trends 2019 Report - Slide 47
15) Investment in both public and private tech companies
In two decades, it’s basically at an all time high.
Source: Mary Meeker Internet Trends 2019 Report - Slide 44
16) Technology evolves faster than people can adapt to it
As technology continues to change at a rapid rate (and complicated), people may tend to favour what’s simple, convenient, and familiar, like the humble SMS, which has stood the test of time.
Source: Mary Meeker Internet Trends 2019 Report - Slide 156
17) Over half of the population is on the internet
51% of the population (3.8 billion people) are now on the Internet. Growth continues to slow, however. It dropped from 7% in 2017 to 6% in 2018.
Source: Mary Meeker Internet Trends 2019 Report - Slide 7
