UK Digital Trends Quarterly Market Report 2021
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Description
The UK Digital Trends Quarterly report identifies consumer attitudes towards health technology, wearables, and the impact of the pandemic in the UK. This market report covers the market size, market forecast, market segmentation and industry trends for the digital and health technology industry in the UK.
Current Digital and Technology Trends in the UK
The NHS’ apps have helped in part to drive more consumers to use and utilise health, fitness, or nutritional apps since the COVID-19 pandemic started. The overall focus on physical and mental health over the lockdowns has also helped to introduce consumers to technology that can help support them.
- 60% of UK adults have used a health, fitness or nutrition app since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 43% of those who use technology to track their health, fitness or wellbeing, say they do so more now than before the pandemic began.
With many older people now using apps to manage and track their health, this could act as a stepping stone to encourage older people to adopt a wider range of apps and wearables, with this age group most likely to see the benefits from the functionality now on offer.
Future Trends in the UK Digital Consumer Technology
The main threat to the current continued growth of the health tech sector comes from consumer wariness of how their data is being used and shared, particularly given the sensitive nature of this data. Firms must ensure they have clear policies on data collection and place the user in complete control of what data is used and how.
There is an opportunity for the market to grow uptake among the over-45s who are typically slower to adopt new technologies. Many in this age group have started using apps for health for the first time during the pandemic, and the over-55s and over-65s in particular are likely to benefit the most from the features now on offer. These features include walking steadiness stools, ECG monitors to detect those at higher risk of strokes, and the ability to share health reports directly with health professionals.
Read on to discover more details or take a look at all of our UK Health and Wellbeing market research.
Expert analysis from a specialist in the field
This report, written by Thomas Slide, a leading analyst in the Media and Technology sector, delivers in-depth commentary and analysis to highlight current trends and add expert context to the numbers.
The pandemic has focused minds on health and wellness, while simultaneously leading to greater reliance on tech than ever before. Technology is increasingly seen as a way to improve both physical and mental health, but consumers are also acutely aware of the negative impact of our ‘always on’ culture. Opportunities to ‘switch off’ are becoming harder to come by, but consumers are looking for ways to control or limit unproductive or excessive screen time.
Thomas Slide
Category Director – Media and Technology
Table of Contents
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Overview
- Key issues covered in this Report
- COVID-19: market context
- Products covered in this Report
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Executive Summary
- The consumer
- A fifth owns a smartwatch
- Figure 1: Personal ownership of consumer technology products, June 2021
- A third of households has a smart speaker
- Figure 2: Consumer technology products in the household, June 2021
- Smartphone buying recovers from its COVID slump
- Figure 3: Technology products purchases in the past three months, 2021
- Plans to purchase recover as consumers venture out
- Figure 4: technology purchases planned in the next three months, 2021
- Growth in music streaming on laptops/desktops
- Figure 5: Activities done on a laptop/desktop in the last three months, 2021
- Increasing use of tablets to play games
- Figure 6: Activities done on a tablet in the last three months, 2021
- Smartphone users increasingly streaming music
- Figure 7: Activities done on a smartphone in the last three months, 2021
- A fifth are trying to cut down on screen time
- Figure 8: Other digital activities in the last three months, 2021
- Technology plays a central role in maintaining health and wellbeing
- Figure 9: Use of health and fitness apps and services since the start of COVID-19, 2021
- Exercise tracking is the most important feature of a wearable
- Figure 10: Features of wearables used for health and wellbeing, 2021
- COVID-19 drives interest in health tracking
- Figure 11: Impact of COVID-19 on the use of technology to track health, wellbeing and fitness, 2021
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Headline Data – Technology Ownership
- Computer ownership remains largely stable
- Figure 12: Ownership of computers, 2012-21
- Ownership of standard laptops peaked during the first lockdown
- Figure 13: Ownership of computers, by form factor, 2017-21
- Wearables ownership continues to surge
- Figure 14: Ownership of wearable devices, 2014-21
- UHD TV ownership edges up during a summer of sport
- Figure 15: Household ownership of HD and Ultra HD 4K televisions, 2016-21
- Built-in connectivity is increasingly widespread
- Figure 16: Household TV connectivity, 2019-21
- Smart speakers are in a third of households
- Figure 17: Ownership of other household technology products, 2016-21
- Separate media devices see ownership levels fall
- Figure 18: Ownership of other household technology products, 2016-21
- Computer ownership remains largely stable
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Headline Data – Technology Purchasing
- Smartphone buying recovers from its COVID slump
- Figure 19: Portable technology purchasing in the last three months, 2019-20
- TV sales grow during a summer of sport
- Figure 20: Static technology purchasing in the last three months, 2019-21
- Smartphone buying recovers from its COVID slump
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Headline Data – Planned Purchases
- Plans to purchase recover as consumers venture out
- Figure 21: Plans to purchase portable technology, 2019-21
- Interest in games consoles falls back after launches
- Growing interest in VR headsets
- Figure 22: Plans to purchase technology for the home, 2019-21
- Plans to purchase recover as consumers venture out
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Headline Data – Online Activities
- Growth in music streaming and gaming
- Figure 23: Online activities on any device in the last three months, 2018-21
- Growth in music streaming on computers
- Figure 24: Online activities on a laptop/desktop in the last three months, 2018-21
- Increasing use of tablets to play games
- Figure 25: Online activities on a tablet in the last three months, 2018-21
- Smartphone users increasingly streaming music
- Figure 26: Online activities on a smartphone in the last three months, 2018-21
- Growth in music streaming and gaming
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Headline Data – Technology Activities
- Use of smart home devices grows
- A fifth are trying to cut down on screen time
- Use of VR increases as people turn to gaming to pass the time
- Figure 27: Other digital activities in the last three months, 2020-21
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Health and Wellbeing apps: Special Focus
- Technology plays a central role in maintaining health and wellbeing
- Fitness providers must offer a holistic experience
- Figure 28: Use of health and fitness apps and services since the start of COVID-19, 2021
- COVID-19 introduces older people to health apps
- Figure 29: Use of health and fitness apps and services since the start of COVID-19, by age, 2021
- Improving shareable health reports
- Providers need to be clear on data use
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Wearables for Health and Wellbeing: Special Focus
- Leverage data to enhance experiences and drive engagement
- Figure 30: Personal ownership of smartwatches, 2017-21
- Over-45s are more likely to have a fitness band than a smartwatch
- Figure 31: Personal ownership of fitness bands/sports watches, 2017-21
- Wearables are being tailored to a wider range of activities
- Figure 32: Features of wearables used for health and wellbeing, 2021
- Sleep tracking and movement reminders to appeal to older users
- Figure 33: Use of selected wearable features, by age, 2021
- Leverage data to enhance experiences and drive engagement
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COVID-19 and Health Tech: Special Focus
- COVID-19 drives interest in health tracking
- Figure 34: Impact of COVID-19 on the use of technology to track health, wellbeing and fitness, 2021
- A growing awareness of the impact of Tech
- Figure 35: Consumers seeking to cut down screen time on their smartphone, tablet or computer, by age, 2020-21
- COVID-19 drives interest in health tracking
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Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
About the report
This market report provides in-depth analysis and insight supported by a range of data. At the same time, introductory and top-level content is provided to give you an overview of the issues covered.
Market
Mintel provides a range of market information, frequently through the category level, including market size and forecasting, complete with market drivers that illustrate the forces that shape a category or market.
Consumer
Mintel’s proprietary consumer research provides our analysts with the attitudinal and behavioral data used to provide valuable insight to topical issues.
Brand/Company
Mintel provides overviews of the top brands and manufacturers, and uses consumer research to explore attitudes and reactions to brands, as well as insight into what will resonate with consumers.
Data
Market reports provide appendices of data to support the research and insight produced. Our databooks* are easily manipulated and downloadable to support your research needs and covers factors from consumer attitudes to market forecasts.
*databooks not available with UK B2B Industry reports.
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