Entertainment, payments, health, everything passes from digital devices, a trend that has further strengthened with the pandemic, making habits and lifestyles evolve. This is confirmed by the research “Digital Consumer Trends Survey 2021”, based on over 2 thousand interviews with people aged between 18 and 75 years.
Digital Health
The spread of digital devices is growing in Italy: if in 2017 only 10% of respondents in our country owned a smartwatch, in 2021 this percentage rose to 25%. Thus, in 2021 in Italy one in 4 respondents own a smartwatch, while one in 5 has a fitness bracelet.
Although the new generations are also attentive to mental health, only 3% of respondents say they pay for a mindfulness app and for mental well-being. However, from a recent analysis conducted worldwide by Deloitte, significant growth is expected for 2022 with an estimate that in 2022 globally for this type of applications will reach almost 500 million dollars.
Digital Entertainment & Media
In recent years there has been a steady increase in the use of streaming video content: in 2018 “only” 40% of respondents in Italy declared that they enjoyed Streaming Video On Demand (SVOD) content; in 2021 this percentage rose to 63%. The results show, however, that the most significant increase occurred in the year of the beginning of the pandemic, where growth was 13%, compared to + 5% in 2021. In the last moreover, the penetration of VoD services among the over 65s increased significantly during the year, at a higher rate than the total population.
The world of video games and e-sports also continues its growth year after year. In Italy, in 2020 the video game market generated more than 2 billion euros, + 21.9% vs 2019. This trend also applies to the use of games and video games on smartphones. In Italy, in fact, 57% of consumers declare that they play on digital devices.
In the last year, 73% of those who own a smartphone in Italy have used social platforms or messaging apps on a daily basis. 22% of Italian respondents stopped using at least one social platform, temporarily or permanently because they got tired of the contents (35%), due to the excessive presence of fake news (25%), because of their privacy concerns (21%).
On the other hand, social media have become the primary source for accessing news for 23%, just below the result achieved by more traditional media (print newspapers and news sites). However, TV remains the most cited source, with 37% of respondents identifying it as their favorite information channel.
Digital Payments
Over 4 out of 5 respondents say they use their smartphone to buy a product online, mostly at least once a month. Again, it is the younger ones who rely the most on this channel.
Those who buy products or services with their smartphone tend to use marketplace apps: this is in fact the most cited channel by respondents (64%) for online purchases. On the contrary, between the website and the app of a retailer there is a tendency to prefer the website, even if only slightly (21% vs 20% of respondents). One out of 10 respondents, on the other hand, declare that they use social media apps to make purchases, a sign of how the phenomenon of Social Shopping is beginning to spread in Italy as well.
As regards the payment methods used in Italy for online purchases via digital devices, almost 3 out of 5 respondents declare that they use credit or debit cards, while 2 out of 5 rely on providers for online payment or money transfer. The use of your bank’s app or other contactless applications is less frequent.
Smartphones and digital devices are becoming more and more platforms for managing one’s accounts and savings and for transferring money. 83% of Italian respondents in fact declared that they check their current account on their mobile phone. While 73% make other transactions on their online banking. These devices are also used for transferring money both between people in the same country (59% of respondents) and outside (31%). In addition, they can also be used for more complex financial activities: buying and selling shares (23%), managing your investments (33%) or managing your own insurance policies (43%).