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Hitwise Intelligence - Sandra Hanchard - Asia Pacific

Analyst Weblog

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Where now for Bebo users in NZ?

April 09, 2010

I used to keep in touch with a lot of in family in NZ through Bebo, but over the last few months or so, have noticed Facebook being used more frequently instead. So when I read about AOL’s decision to either sell or shut down Bebo, coupled with some of our own stats on declining visits to Bebo, I was not surprised.

Bebo attracted 2.16% of visits to Social Networking and Forums websites in New Zealand during March 2010, and still ranks as the third most popular website in this category (behind Facebook and YouTube). Bebo declined significantly in visits by 67% compared to the same month last year. Facebook in contrast grew by 57% year-on-year, and attracted 21.4x more visits than Bebo in March 2010.

Bebo was the most popular Social Network in New Zealand until May 2008 when Facebook briefly took over; Facebook then went on to gain rapid momentum against all websites from late November 2008 onwards. This was later than in some markets, such as the UK (see Robin's post).

What are the demographics of Bebo in NZ?

Bebo has traditionally attracted a strong online following from our Mosaic Lifestyle segment, "Cultural Ties" which has high proportions of Maori and Pacific Islanders, and continues to be over-represented in this audience. Facebook with its rapid expansion has enjoyed a migration of users from this segment, and has widened its audience base overall.

Social Networks in general in New Zealand attract an over-representation in visits from lower affluent Mosaic Groups, including "Working Fringe", families with stretched budgets in outer suburbs, and "Family Growth", young families living in cities, which may be one issue that will affect continued efforts in monetisation of Social Networks.

In contrast, Mosaic Group, "Urban Intelligence", comprised of affluent and tech-savvy households, has concentrated usage on Entertainment and Lifestyle websites focused on offline activities, such as Nightlife, Performing Arts and Restaurants. This may be a reflection of greater disposable spend in this consumer segment.

Migration to Facebook and other Social Networks

Looking at the websites where new visitors go after Bebo throws up little surprises – Facebook and YouTube attracted the highest volume of clicks in March 2010. Interestingly, Twitter attracted a much higher new visitor rate at 44%, suggesting that it is still a novelty for some Internet users in New Zealand.

For the meantime, Facebook offers a good home for Bebo users, who have brought their friends with them and thus kept their network base; the fickleness of users on Social Networks should however be remembered by Facebook, as it is strives to maintain the attention span of users through continued innovation.

YouTube and Twitter are also prominent social media websites in New Zealand and have taken some market share as a result of Bebo’s decline. They both however offer a very different user experience to Facebook and do not appear to pose an immediate threat. As usual, we'll be keeping an eye on the competitive Social Networking space for any new up and comers.

Tweet Posted by Sandra Hanchard at 11:51 AM | (0)
In Categories Social Networking