Cybersurfer I presume?

A new study sheds light on Mexico's Internet users and their habits

If you log on to the Web, chances are you're a single young adult male with a high income level. Fit the bill? Well, this is according to a study by leading research firm Greenfield Online on behalf of Mexico's association for Internet advertising.

The October 2000 study of 2,183 local cybersurfers was an attempt to remedy the chronic unavailability of reliable consumer data for potential Internet advertisers. The results offer a new perspective on who is using Internet in Mexico today and what they are using it for.

The Profile

According to David Fierro, director of AMICI's investigation committee, the study dispels certain misconceptions about the typical internet user in Mexico, what they do online and where they access the Web.

To start with, advertisers will probably be pleased to discover that the largest age-group of Mexican Web surfers are between 25 and 34.

"We can see that these are not mostly kids, but young adults with high incomes," says Fierro, adding that most of these users log on at home, followed closely by their places of work.

Those questioned claimed to use the Internet for an average 11.36 hours a week, which according to Fierro, is a very high rate, "considering that Internet is not an accompanying activity, or something you can do while doing something else (as opposed to radio or even television)."

Surprisingly, the study indicates that only 30% of Mexican Internet users are women, who are on average younger than male users, and of which some 70% are single.

"Women in Mexico started using the Internet after men did, which is why they are younger and more likely to be single," says Fierro.

Another surprise is that local Internet use has cut through social classes to a greater extent than was previously thought. "The study dispels the myth that use of Internet is restricted to high classes, as a large portion of middle and a significant portion of lower classes are doing so (logging on) too," says Fierro.

Some 13% of those surveyed consider themselves to be from lower-income groups, while a solid 40% comes from middle- and upper middle-class backgrounds.

Matthew Gower is BUSINESS MEXICO'S associate editor.

* On-line Shopping

Many brand names have long regarded the local Internet market to be unprofitable. But the study's results also seem to contradict this. Just under half of those questioned claimed to have purchased on-line at least once in the last 90 days. Moreover, 55% claimed to have the intention of buying on-line within the next year.

Another interesting result compares on-line product consultation with actual on-line purchases and traditional brick-and-mortar purchases. The study's data seems to suggest that while product browsing on the Web does not usually end with on-line purchases, it may lead to shopping with traditional merchants.

Of the 41% who claimed to have used the Internet to check up on a particular product such as a book or CD, just under one-fourth of them made an actual purchase on-line while almost three-fourths claimed to have bought the product at a physical store.

                  * Profile of the Mexican Internet User
                                    Sex
Women 30%
Men   70%
                                    Age
13-17  8%
18-24 30%
25-34 37%
35-44 16%
45 +   9%
                         Socio-economic class [*]
A/B    47%
C+/C   40%
D+/D/E 13%
                              Marital Status
Married 36%
Single  58%
Other    6%
(*)For definitions of socio-economic
classifications, see "Cashing in," p.32