Devotees of heavy graphics on the web take heart: Nearly a third of American Internet users—31%--have broadband access to the web.
Of those broadband users, though, 64% have broadband access through work or school—not always the best environment for online users to go shopping. The balance of users have broadband access at home, which means about 10% of American Internet-enabled homes have broadband.
The data come from a new study by Arbitron Inc. and media research firm Coleman, which specializes in media, music and branding. Their new report “Broadband Revolution 2: The Media World of Speedies,” shows there is little overlap between those who use broadband at work and at home: 58% have access only at work, 27% have access only at home. Only 15% have access at both work and home.
The small number of consumers equipped with broadband has been a stumbling point for retailers designing their web sites. On the one hand, they want to make the sites as engaging as possible, but on the other hand engaging content means heavier files and most homes still cannot handle large Internet files.
However, the number of broadband users is sure to grow, as the study also reports that 38% of users who have broadband connections in college are likely to get broadband service when they are out on their own. That makes them an important group to target going forward, Arbitron says.
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