JupiterResearch Finds Use of Widgets Has Grown Rapidly Online, Driven by Viral and Social Channels

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--JupiterResearch,-- JupiterResearch, a leading authority on the impact of the Internet and emerging consumer technologies on business, has found that companies wanting to get their widgets into the hands of consumers build must viral and social channels into the distribution plans.

“The evolution of widgets is in an early stage, though, so companies should keep development costs low and anticipate experimentation and frequent changes in what widgets look like and how they’re delivered.”

Outlined in a new report, "Widgets: Delivering Applications Users Want," online users are more likely to get widgets from friends than from the companies that created them. In fact, online users between the ages of 18-24 are six times more likely to obtain widgets from friends than from a company.

The increasing use of widgets is tied to the rising popularity of social networking sites. Widgets are not a new idea and similar functionality has been available on personalized portal pages for years. But the rise of social networks has introduced an entirely new group of consumers to the idea of dressing up their Web pages with small, useful programs. Adoption of widgets has grown rapidly in 2007. Some 39 percent of online users are familiar with widgets, and 26 percent have used them.

The most popular widgets are those that enable the user to play video, music, or view photo slide shows, although widgets offering news, weather, or other information are also utilized and most commonly distributed through social networking sites.

"Social networking sites have greatly contributed to the viral spread of widgets," explained Barry Parr, JupiterResearch Media Analyst and lead author of the report. "Facebook increased the viral ante by giving widget authors programming access to its user database and notifying users when a friend added a new widget.”

"Media companies, including news organizations, should experiment with widgets to cement their relationship with audiences," said David Schatsky, President of JupiterResearch. "The evolution of widgets is in an early stage, though, so companies should keep development costs low and anticipate experimentation and frequent changes in what widgets look like and how they’re delivered."

The complete findings of this report are immediately available to JupiterResearch clients online at www.jupiterresearch.com. For details on JupiterResearch's methodology, visit www.jupiterresearch.com/bin/item.pl/methodology or email [e-mail] to request a detailed methodology statement. For additional information on this report or JupiterResearch's News & Information research service, visit www.jupiterresearch.com or contact Kieran Kelly, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Client Service, at 1-800-481-1212 or [e-mail].

About JupiterResearch

JupiterResearch provides unbiased research, analysis and advice, backed by proprietary data, to help companies profit from the impact of the Internet and emerging consumer technologies on their business. The company helps online businesses make critical decisions about technology selection, spending, staffing, and Web site effectiveness; advises consumer-facing companies with online advertising, marketing, and customer service strategies to understand, attract, convert and retain customers; and guides technology vendors and service providers on market opportunity, positioning, product definition, and pricing. JupiterResearch is headquartered in New York City and has offices throughout the US and Europe. For more information, visit www.jupiterresearch.com.