CREATION: Optimistic outlook for China advertisers

China's ecommerce penetration, which doubled in six months, and rising Internet access in the world's most populous nation could spell good news for advertisers and the mainland's nascent business to consumer (B2C) sector. A recent report by iamasia put mainland China's Internet access at 15.2 million, an increase of more than 15 per cent between the second and third quarter of last year. Mr Stephen Yap, director, marketing and communications, said there was reason to be cautiously optimistic. "This is good news from the advertisers' point of view, because not only is there clearly a growing audience, but the demographic is changing. In the past, China's Internet access was limited to niche groups, such as the affluent and the college community, but now we are seeing a wider audience range," said Mr Yap. The survey showed the Internet population getting younger. According to the report, the average age of an Internet user was recorded at 28, with 57 per cent of users aged between 15 and 29. The report said that as Internet penetration continued to rise, the demographic profile of Internet users would come closer to that of the general population. "For example, the gender disparity of the online population is narrowing as more women come online. "I think advertisers are realising that the Internet is as effective as any other medium. You hear people say that banners are not effective, but the truth is there are other formats ... What we need is to find out which creative executions work and to target specific groups in demographics," Mr Yap said. Meanwhile, Internet usage in the workplace remained low as employers showed reluctance in giving staff access to the Internet while on the job. "There are only 26 per cent of Internet workers that log on at work, compared to 84 per cent who access the Web at home ... It is interesting to note just how conservative companies are about giving people Internet access in the workplace," said Mr Louis Boswell, iamasia's COO. In Taiwan, 28 per cent of employees had Web access at work, compared with 39 per cent in China. In addition, Shenzhen had the highest Web penetration in China.

Sign In

Trouble signing in?

Reset Password: Click here

Contact Customer Support at

Customerservice@campaignasia.com