Swedes and the internet in 2021 - insights for B2B

The Swedes and the Internet 2021 report was recently released. The report is produced annually by the Swedish Internet Foundation and presents current statistics on the Swedish people's digital habits and behaviors on the internet. The survey contains a lot of interesting information, not least for those of you who work in B2B. In this post, we take a closer look at the most interesting insights.

More and more people are connected

Like many other things in our lives, the pandemic has also affected the way we use the internet and digital devices in 2021. Studies show that we Swedes are now even more connected than before, with 95% of the population using the internet. Moreover, 9 out of 10 use the internet daily. The internet is mainly accessed via mobile phones, followed by computers and finally tablets.

Working from home changes habits

As a result of the pandemic, working from home increased in 2021. Half of professionals have worked from home and 90% of them say they will continue to do so even after the pandemic, but in a limited form. Working from home forced us to communicate in different ways than before. Here, Facebook Messenger is by far the most popular channel for communication, followed by Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

Communicating more often and more

The way we communicate has changed not only in the workplace but also in everyday life. In 2021, more than one in five people had daily video calls, and secondary school students were the group that had video calls most often. Chatting was popular, with 95% of users chatting in the last 12 months and 3 out of 4 chatting daily. The 90s were the most frequent chatters, with 100% of them saying they had chatted at some point during the year. SMS was the most commonly used chat channel, with 3 out of 4 users saying they texted during the year.

Social media use is on the rise

Social media use remains high, with 95% of internet users having used social media in the last year. Again, the 90s are the most frequent users, closely followed by the 00s. YouTube is the most used channel overall, with 81% saying they have used the service at least once during the year. Facebook is the channel most used on a daily basis (54%), followed by Instagram (46%).

Different audiences use different channels

The use of social media looks different for different target groups. If we look at the younger age groups, we see that Tiktok, YouTube and Snapchat dominate, while the older age groups use Facebook and Instagram more. If we examine LinkedIn, we see that 4 out of 10 people have used LinkedIn in the past year, with those who worked from home being the most frequent users along with white-collar workers.

Digital media biggest source of information

Media is our main source of information and the main intake is through digital media. Play services and streaming video services are more popular than traditional TV among users, with 77% saying they watched a digital TV service at least once in the last 12 months. Newspapers are also more widely read digitally than in paper form, with 31% reading a newspaper digitally every day, compared to 17% in paper form. Podcasts are popular, with 42% saying they have listened to a podcast at least once in the past year. Again, the 90s are the most frequent users, with 30% of them listening to podcasts daily.

Insights at a glance

As a company, it is now more important than ever to have a strong digital presence and knowledge of where your target audience is. During the pandemic, we have become accustomed to doing more and more things online and to be an attractive company, it is important to keep up with the development. By offering more services digitally, a larger target group is attracted and accessibility increases.

The report shows that social media remains an important channel for information and news. Accessing information via video seems to be a growing trend, an important insight to bear in mind. It is also worth remembering that concerns about online fraud and personal attacks are increasing. To be perceived as a credible and serious company, it is important to always be transparent in your communication and clearly show how you treat confidential data.

Lessons for B2B

When it comes to B2B, there is much in the report to learn from. With more and more of your target audience going online, it's important to create a digital ecosystem where all channels are connected and drive traffic to your website. Once on your website, engaging and credible content that inspires and interests your audience to go on and read more is crucial. By carefully researching what captures your audience's attention, you can create content that sticks. Don't forget about accessibility either. A good digital presence is an active presence. Make sure to regularly update your channels and respond to incoming questions and comments. This way, you build strong relationships that lead to conversions.

About the Swedes and the internet 2021 report

Swedes and the Internet is an annual report on digital trends and internet use in Sweden. The sender is the independent organization Internetstiftelsen i Sverige (iiS), which is also responsible for all .se domains. The purpose of the survey is to "provide facts and insights on the development of internet use in Sweden". This year's survey was conducted between February and March this year. Read more at svenskarnaochinternet.se