Nearly 60% of residential Internet service subscribers are also users of an instant messaging service, according to a new study from J.D. Power and Associates.
The new study examines the consumer behavior, experiences and satisfaction of Internet service subscribers with online services, including instant messaging, portals/start pages, search functions and e-mail services.
"Instant messaging has become an important part of the broader Internet experience for a large portion of Internet users, with 36% of IM subscribers using the service daily and an additional 28% using it at least once a week," says Jonathan Brookner, director of telecommunications research for J.D. Power and Associates. "It may be particularly surprising to see the degree of penetration of instant messaging among all age groups."
Although instant messaging usage is highest among 18- to 24-year-olds(82% subscribe to an IM service), its popularity remains high even among Internet subscribers over 45, with 54% using an IM service. 64% of women say they use an instant messaging service, compared to 53% of men. Among instant messaging services, Yahoo and MSN’s services rate particularly high with subscribers.
The study also finds that Internet users want to control and personalize the portals/start page they use for activities such as information searches, or to read news stories, check e-mail, find stock quotes or view weather forecasts. Among portals/start pages that consumers rate highly are Excite/My Excite, EarthLink, Google and Yahoo/My Yahoo.
"Internet users intensely dislike flashing and pop-up ads on their start pages, and want the ability to personalize the look and content they see," says Brookner. "The ISPs and web portals that have successfully built and keep their user base have allowed users to shape their own experience."
While 53% of respondents say they primarily use their ISP’s e-mail service, usage is high among pure web mail providers, with 20% indicating Yahoo Mail as their primary provider, 13% using MSN Hotmail, and 9% using AOL Mail. E-mail services that perform well with customers include EarthLink, Road Runner and AOL for Broadband. Pure web mail providers that perform well include Yahoo Mail and Netscape Mail.
Among online search providers, 45% of respondents say they primarily use Google, while 22% use Yahoo Search, 10% use MSN Search, 7% use AOL Search, 6% primarily use the Internet address bar, 3% use Ask Jeeves, and 4% use others. Top-rated search functions include Google, Ask Jeeves, and Yahoo Search.
The study is based on responses from more than 9,500 residential customers of Internet service providers nationwide.
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