http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358338&rel=true


 
  
IDC Research: Portals hold the key to online households.
Sep 03 2002: A new report from IDC suggests that the majority of online households in the US rely on major portals for critical Internet services. 

The study indicates that 84 percent of US online households turn to AOL, MSN and Yahoo for online services.

The study suggests however that consumer migration to broadband is likely to change the relationship between consumers and portals in the near future. 

Consequently, portals will soon be measured by their ability to capture key customer identification information, and their ability to deliver enhanced services to consumers and business partners in telecommunications, finance, and entertainment.

According to IDC, the focus of portals is gradually shifting from attracting multiple visitors to creating stronger relationships with existing consumers. 

But, the research company suggests that the major portals will need to create deep relationships with users in order to become more indispensable than other mediums.

The depth of the portals penetration into the day-to-day lives of US Internet households will open up new avenues for businesses that want to deliver enhanced services to U.S. households while reducing customer acquisition and administration costs, says the report.

The migration to broadband also means that major portals will need to develop marketing and information sharing systems that integrate much more closely with broadband companies’ sales, marketing, billing, and customer care systems.