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RESEARCH REVEALS INTERNET USAGE AT OFFICE LINKED
TO HOME
A recent report from Forrester Research Inc. of Cambridge,
Mass. found corporate and consumer on-line markets are two sides of
the same coin. This contrasts with the widespread belief among Internet
access vendors and content providers. The commonly held view is they
can avoid the complexities of the consumer market by focusing on business
customers.
The two markets are interdependent because the same people are connecting
from work and from home, claims Forrester's report entitled. The Work/Home
Connection. Companies will more effectively address these markets by
developing strategies to serve the professional in both contexts.
“The dichotomy between corporate and consumer on-line markets
is a false one,” says Mary A. Modahl, group director of Forrester's
New Media Research and author of the report. “The white-collar
professionals who are on the Net from 9 to 5 are the parents who get
on with their kids after dinner.”
The study interviewed 100 users who access the internet at work. It
found 70% of users connecting to the network from work are likely to
connect from home, 13% are less likely, and 14% were not impacted one
way or the other. Of those interviewed, 3% were not sure.
Professionals who have Internet access at work bring their Web habits
and expectations home. They expect higher-speed network connections
and flat pricing, and they look for purposeful, deep content. They also
bring their “consumer” on-line expectations to work, spreading
grassroots technology and demanding high-volume, low-priced, personalized
content.
“It's a virtuous cycle,” says Modahl, “where professionals
bring their experiences from work to home and back again. The net result
is that the Net’s population will continue to explode. Content
providers and access vendors must serve both markets to succeed.”
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