Asia-Pacific to outpace US Web usage within 5 years

NEW YORK: Internet users in the Asia-Pacific region will outpace the United

States within less than five years, according to Jupiter Media Metrix in a

report released Thursday.

The research firm sees Asia-Pacific comprising as much as one-third of all

Internet consumers worldwide in 2005.

In Latin America, Internet users are expected to almost double in size to

eight per cent of the world's Internet user population in 2005 from five per

cent in 2000 amid increased PC penetration and improvements in

telecommunications infrastructure in those regions.

"While it is imperative for sites to gain foothold in these markets,

they need to avoid a 'must build' mentality, and enter these markets through

strategic partnerships such as joint ventures and franchises," said Preston

Dodd, senior analyst at Jupiter, in a statement.

Jupiter predicts that the US share of the global Internet population will

drop from 36 per cent at present to about 24 per cent in 2005. However, about

two-thirds of US companies have not yet prepared for a global online

marketplace, according to a Jupiter survey of the top 20 Web sites within five

categories.

Internet market leaders such as America Online Inc., Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft

Corp. have been aggressively trying to gain market share abroad - especially as

the US dial-up market matures.

Although American companies are beginning to venture into smaller, secondary

markets, such as France and Italy, expansion into primary global markets such as

Germany and the United Kingdom, remains low.

Jupiter advises US companies to align with local companies in each global

operation market to gain a better understanding of local customers' preferences,

local customs and business practices, brands and fulfillment.

The research firm also advises that companies translate welcome pages for

international visitors and register local domain names.

(C) Reuters Limited 2001.