Trends in internet use and the Dutch domain name market: research report published by SIDN
Social media likely to boost demand for websites and domain names
[news release] SIDN, the company behind .nl, has published the findings of a unique study into trends in internet use and the Dutch domain name market. Although the influence of social media has been studied before, this is the first time that researchers have looked at it in direct relation to the domain name market.
Carried out by Heliview Research & Consultancy, the research involved interviewing 2,800 consumers and 600 representatives of the business community in the Netherlands. The most striking finding is that social media are likely to stimulate demand for websites and thus for domain names. Contrary to what is sometimes assumed, internet users do not regard a page on a social media platform as an alternative to a personal or corporate website.
Changing patterns of internet use
Roelof Meijer, SIDN’s CEO commented, “The findings of this research are extremely useful for Dutch internet professionals, because the way people use the internet is currently undergoing considerable change. The report highlights not only the increasing possibilities afforded by the internet, but also the growing complexity of the issues associated with the use of websites. Our aim was to obtain a clear picture of the trends in internet use and their implications for the domain name market. We also wanted to establish what value people attach to domain names in the rapidly changing internet world, and to communicate our findings. Some of the report’s conclusions inevitably prompt further questions. So the project will continue in 2012, with a view to improving our insight and verifying various hypotheses.”
Among the more notable findings of the study were:
- Consumers do not see social media as replacing personal websites.
- Social media stimulate internet use and thus indirectly boost the demand for .nl domain names.
- Social media do not reduce the demand for campaign websites and similar; the demand for such sites is expected to increase.
- Neither business users nor service providers expect corporate websites to be displaced by the rise of social media.
- Apps are more likely to have a positive effect on the use of websites and therefore domain names than a negative one.
- On the business market, the use of apps and social media is expected to lead to a general rise in the number of websites and domain names in use.
- Migration to mobile devices has not yet significantly changed the way people reach websites, but users believe that their navigating habits will change substantially in the years ahead.
- Service providers do not expect the value of a domain name to fall as a result of increasing mobile use.
- The growth of mobile use does lead most registrars to question the future profitability of parking pages.
Details of the project
Carried out for SIDN by Heliview Research & Consultancy, the research provides clear and unique insight into trends in internet use and into the value that people attach to domain names in the rapidly changing internet world. Developments such as the migration from static PCs to mobile devices as the primary medium for accessing the internet could in principle affect demand for and therefore the value of domain names. That is because, on many modern devices, it isn’t easy to type in long domain names and internet content is often made available by apps, removing the need to visit websites. The burgeoning popularity of social media has potential implications as well: if people can access the content they want on a single platform, they may be less likely to visit external websites. That could have a major impact on the demand for domain names across the board. The findings of the study indicate that, while such trends are important in the context of our internet use, their implications for the domain name market are not straightforward. Furthermore, internet usage patterns are still evolving and further change may therefore be expected in the period ahead.
About SIDN
SIDN manages the .nl internet domain. As well as registering and assigning domain names, SIDN ensures that internet users all over the world can reach the corresponding domains at all times. Being responsible for the registration and performance of nearly five million .nl domain names, SIDN is at the heart of the Dutch e-business community. In 2011, the .nl domain reached the age of twenty-five, and SIDN has been using the milestone to focus attention on the significance of the internet (and .nl) for the Netherlands.
You can apply for the full report by e-mailing marketing@sidn.nl.
This SIDN news release was sourced from:
https://www.sidn.nl/en/news/news/article/trends-in-internet-use-and-the-dutch-domain-name-market-research-report-published-by-sidn/
To register your .NL domain name, check out Europe Registry here.
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