Gifting in a Kindle Wonderland

1 in every 40 adults in Great Britain received an e-reader as a Christmas present - read how Santa went digital in 2011.

You probably shouldn’t try this at home… ^
Written by James Doncaster, Digital Marketing Executive

Recent research proclaims ‘1 in every 40 adults in Great Britain received an e-reader as a Christmas present, either bought for them as a gift, or as a present for themselves’ and that ‘of the 1.33 million e-readers gifted at Christmas, 92% were Kindles, making Amazon’s e-reader the most popular choice this Christmas.’

E-readers such as the Amazon Kindle have surged in popularity recently due to both the affordability and portability of the devices – alongside the deluge of publications readily available as published e-books.

In April 2011 – Amazon.co.uk announced Kindle e-books were outselling hardcover books at a rate of more than two to one – the trend can only increase in 2012 with many e-book users now hooked.

Kirsty Grimes – a copywriter here at Cimex was lucky enough to receive a Kindle for Christmas, Kirsty commented – ‘it’s really changed how I go about my daily routine of reading and keeping up with the zeitgeist – great for the DLR!’.

61% of Kindles were received by women as Christmas gifts.

The versatility of e-booker readers alongside many newspaper and magazine titles offering electronic subscriptions has widened the traditional marketplace for many ‘dead tree’ publications.

Let’s not forgot the tablets

Tablets such as the Apple iPad and the Blackberry Playbook enjoyed a similar surge as Christmas gifts with modelling suggesting over 640,000 tablets were received in the digital festive gifting bonanza.

Apple iPads accounted for 72% of that figure – with 60% being gifted to women.

According to research from Kantar Worldpanel ComtTech – In September 2011 there were ‘a total of 3.62 million own tablet computers in the UK’ with Apple iPads accounting for a similar 73% share.

Lucky Londoners were more likely to be gifted with an iPad this Christmas than the rest of the country and were also more likely to try out an alternative e-book reader over the Kindle.

Touch platforms are continuing to rapidly overhaul traditional marketplaces and consumer habits. Could your brand exploit the rise in tablets? We can help you explore the possibilities – contact us.

Original article source: YouGov
Flickr Photo Source: jblyberg

Published: 05 Jan 2012

Tags: Mobile & touch