by Hannah
28. June 2010 23:19
We have so many international clients and franchises that it takes some brainwork catering to everyone’s individual needs. I find the South African in particular quite tricky, because we’re on par with international markets in some ways, yet obviously very behind in others. One particularly frustrating aspect is our limited internet access: Too many people don’t have access to the internet at all, or their internet is exasperatingly slow.
BUT
Earlier this week Fin24 reported that South Africa’s online usage has risen by 51% in the last year.
You can read the full article here; it reveals some inspiring statistics.
Almost the same number of people who read a newspaper every day now use the internet every day. Last year 5.3 million South Africans were internet users; that number has grown to 9.1 million.
Several factors are listed as possible reasons for this massive boom in web browsing: The global focus and adaptation of digital media in the business environment does, of course, have an influence, but recently we have also seen many expos and conferences aimed at educating the local market place on online benefits. More educated users have resulted in people utilizing the internet more effectively and more people installing home connections. Greater social media interaction is also viewed as a contributing factor, but one of the most important has been the escalated competition and price war among ADSL providers – it’s made it a lot easier for the average Joe Soap to have access to broadband internet.
This means companies that make use of online marketing can reach larger numbers of people at a relatively low cost.
Good news for South African email marketers? I think so.