upiter Communications: Web Businesses Fail to Capitalize on Unprecedented
European Opportunities
Business Editors
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--October 18, 1999--
European Nations Secure Top Spots for Web Sophistication
and Internet Market Potential
Currently, Europe is home to more than half of the world's most
sophisticated Web markets; yet, US and EU Web enterprises have failed
to move toward establishing high-value consumer relationships
aggressively, according to new research from Jupiter Communications
Inc. The research, which was delivered to attendees of the Jupiter
Consumer Online Forum Europe in London, featured rankings of top
nations for Web sophistication and Internet market potential. European
nations secured 12 of the top 20 spots for Internet sophistication and
10 of the top 20 spots for future Internet market potential.
"These rankings are a snapshot in time; and, at this point, they
highlight the unprecedented opportunity that Europe's markets afford,"
said Evan Neufeld, Jupiter's vice president of International Research.
"However, the continued development of Europe's Internet Economy is
far from assured unless Web Ventures establish increasingly more
meaningful, high-value relationships with European consumers."
To date in the European market, the key elements of Internet
commerce--access, commerce, and content players--are driving
low-value, high-volume relationships with consumers. However, Web
ventures in Europe must increase the value of those relationships,
from acquisition to retention, and eventually ownership in order to
practice truly targeted marketing.
"The European Markets are at a key juncture now where fundamental
changes in the way access is provided, content is marketed, and goods
are sold must occur if the market is to advance," Neufeld added.
In the case of access, free-to-air ISPs have increased the sheer
number of people online in Europe; yet, by their failure to increase
incremental usage of the medium, they have not increased the value of
those relationships. In a similar fashion, content players have
attempted to increase their overall audiences by focusing on portal
offerings of commoditized data and listings, and neglecting to drive
consumers to specifically focused vertical content sites. The latter
offer content such as sports or lifestyle, where a meaningful,
targeted relationship between content and customer can exist. In
Europe's commerce arena, merchants--especially those in the off-line
world--have concentrated on driving traffic to their sites instead of
developing strategies to retain these customers. This is best
illustrated by the generally low quality of European customer service
online. A recent Jupiter survey of the top European e-commerce sites
found that more than 60 percent of sites did not respond to a
customer's inquiry within 48 hours.
The Jupiter Global Sophistication Index and the Jupiter Global
Opportunity Index are tools developed by Jupiter Communications to
identify the world's top Internet markets. Nations are ranked
according to a range of key drivers including overall online usage,
home access, GNP per capita, and potential for growth.
The Jupiter Consumer Online Forum Europe will run through
Tuesday, 19 October, at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in London. The
forum will feature keynote presentations from Jay Walker, chairman and
founder, Priceline.com; and Andreas Schmidt, president and CEO, AOL
Europe. Walker and Schmidt will join Jupiter's leading analysts to
explore the opportunities and challenges of Europe's shifting Internet
landscape.
Forum sessions will focus on a variety of issues, including:
digital commerce, the future of advertising, free-to-air Internet, and
alternative platforms in Europe.
Speakers for the sessions include: Fabiola Arrendondo, managing
director of Yahoo! Europe; Roger Wood, vice president, e-commerce,
Reebok International; Brent Hoberman, managing director,
LastMinute.com; Barry Salzman, president, Doubleclick International;
Tim Brown, managing director, RealMedia UK; Michael Kleindl, managing
director, AdLINK Internet Media AG; and Martin Dunn, managing
director, Associated New Media.
The Jupiter Consumer Online Forum Europe will features 20
exhibitors showcasing innovative services and technologies. Primary
sponsors of the conference include Ci4Net.com and Flycast Europe.
Jupiter will produce one additional forum in 1999, the Jupiter
Entertainment Forum. To receive the Jupiter forum schedule 2000 or
register for future Jupiter forums contact Jupiter at (917) 534-6000
x6424 or 800-611-1693, or visit Jupiter online at www.jup.com.
Jupiter Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:JPTR) is a provider of
research on Internet commerce. Jupiter's research, which is solely
focused on the Internet economy, provides clients with comprehensive
views of industry trends, forecasts, and best practices. The company's
research services are provided primarily through its continuous
subscription product, Jupiter's Strategic Planning Services (SPS).
Jupiter also produces a wide range of conferences that offer senior
executives the opportunity to hear firsthand the insights of its
analysts and the leading decision-makers in the Internet and
technology industries. Jupiter Communications is based in New York
City, with operations in London, San Francisco, Stockholm, and Sydney.
You can learn more about Jupiter Communications by visiting our Web
site www.jup.com.
--30--jrw/ny*
CONTACT: PR Contacts:
Sandrine Blaquiere
Tel: +44-171-497-1020
E-mail: sandrineb@jup.com
or
Diane Schreiber
Tel: +415-876-6060
E-mail: dianes@jup.com
KEYWORD: INTERNATIONAL EUROPE
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: INTERNET NETWORKING COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS
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