eMarketer: 2005 Will Be the Year of Personalization

Firm Predicts Growth in RSS, Wireless Broadband and More

From the widespread availability of VoIP to the increasing target-ability of advertising, research aggregator eMarketer sees 2005 as the year marketers finally recognize that the consumer has gained control; as a result, they will take personalization to the next level.

"The shifts we are seeing in e-business are toward content, advertising and technologies that are increasingly targeted to specific individuals or groups," said Geoff Ramsey, CEO of eMarketer. "As a result, eMarketer is predicting those developing and distributing products or services of that nature will need a deep understanding of who their audiences are in 2005 in order to reach and engage them."

eMarketer's team of analysts gather and analyze data from more than 1,700 sources around the world. They put into context statistical data from multiple research surveys and studies to provide insight and understanding about e-business, online marketing and emerging technology trends.

The Top 10 Trends eMarketer analysts see for 2005 are as follows:

1.  Advertising - Though paid search will continue to dominate online
    advertising in 2005, the growing fear of digital video recorders (DVRs)
    stealing eyeballs from TV commercials will increasingly force brand
    marketers to devote more of their budgets to the Internet and other
    vehicles.
2.  RSS Feeds - RSS will grow as a pervasive form of content syndication
    and advertising.
3.  AOL Restructuring - AOL has lost 4 million subscribers in the last 2
    years as its dial-up business dwindles. By the end of 2005, AOL will be
    hoping that online advertising will make up close to 20% of its total
    revenue (it plans to open its doors to non-subscribers), while its
    access business continues to decline.
4.  On-Demand TV - Consumers are taking more control of their TV
    experience, and advertisers need to adapt accordingly, or risk losing
    their audiences.
5.  Wireless Broadband - This year, it will begin to challenge 3G as a
    viable technology.
6.  Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) - Adoption by the retail sector
    will continue in 2005, as part of a long-term trend.
7.  Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) - While growth in the number of
    VoIP users was slow in '04, awareness of the technology is now strong
    and more telecom and cable providers roll out these services in 2005.
8.  Linux - In 2005, eMarketer expects Linux adoption in the enterprise to
    continue, especially as part of the server upgrade cycle.
9.  Cross-Channel Retail - Retailers will think of their online stores less
    as unique, standalone channels and increasingly as one component of a
    larger strategy.
10. IT Security - Security will remain among the top 3 spending priorities
    for CIOs this year.

To read the full article, visit http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?1003202.

About eMarketer

eMarketer, the world's leading aggregator of e-business and Internet statistics, provides objective market projections and analysis to online professionals in more than 140 countries worldwide. eMarketer's eStat Database is the most comprehensive compilation of up-to-date e-business and online marketing statistics in the world. For more information, visit http://www.emarketer.com.

Distributed by Market Wire