Yahoo Finance 
NZers get digital
Latest research from global performance management company, Nielsen, has found that 3.1 million New Zealanders spend the equivalent of two workings days online each week. Nearly three quarters (73%) use at least two devices on a weekly basis and nearly two in five (39%) use at least three. Nielsen’s New Zealand Connected Consumer Report revealed 70% of online New Zealanders own a mobile device. More than two thirds (64%) own a smartphone and 33% own a tablet device. More than a quarter own both a tablet and a smartphone, a fivefold increase since 2012.
Close to two thirds (65%) of the NZ online population access digital content via a smartphone each week, and over a quarter (27%) do so via their tablet device.
Tony Boyte, Research Director, Nielsen NZ says, "Smartphones have become a dominant player in providing brands with a tool to deliver online content and experiences to highly targeted audiences at highly intentional times. This means more opportunity for advertisers to engage connected NZ consumers at precisely the right moment with the right message."
MOBILE DEVICES MOST USED FOR SOCIAL MEDIA AND NEWS
Almost nine in ten New Zealanders use social media, and three quarters use Facebook on a monthly basis. Desktop/laptops are still the most dominant device used for this activity, however mobile is increasingly prevalent - over half of Facebook visitors each month access via a smartphone app, 70% for Instagram and more than two in five for Twitter.
New Zealanders are primarily using their smartphones to interact with social media, access weather information and obtain latest news updates. Short-form video clips are also high on the click list and more than a quarter research products and services and listen to music or radio. Tablets are predominantly used to access news content, social media sites and watch online video content.
The Nielsen report also found more than three quarters (76%) of online New Zealanders watch TV and use a separate device to access the internet at the same time - more than one in three do so on a daily basis.
INTERNET TV, IT’S ALL ABOUT CONVENIENCE
Each month, more than half (53%) of online New Zealanders watch TV or movie content via the web. Watching movies is the genre that attracts the most viewers to on demand services followed by entertainment such as comedy, reality shows and international dramas.
"New Zealanders are mostly motivated to watch internet TV because of the convenience factor - they can watch programmes at a time that suits them the most, and also pause content and come back to it when they want to," added Boyte.
"The rise of digital media engagement by New Zealanders has opened many doors for marketers, but also posed some unique challenges for an array of industry participants - advertisers, media owners and content providers. With so many new touch points out there, the opportunities are growing. What’s more, the mobility of these devices facilitates online media access across a range of locations and situations, providing brands an opportunity to engage with consumers at the right time, in the right place and with the right message," concluded Boyte.
