Building the Web Site That Every Kid Wants

Selling to Kids, April 5, 2000

There are plenty of theories about what makes a Web site a great destination for kids. But companies that find the right mix are few and far between. New research is providing a clearer picture of what kids are doing online, however, giving the industry a major opportunity to refine Web sites and meet kids' needs.

Here's a look at some of the latest stats and what they can mean for your Web initiative:

Social Skills

Stat: Communication is tops when kids go online, with 69% using the Web to chat with buddies, according to Children's Market Research's recently completed Kid Trends Online 2000 report. The report looks at Internet priorities for kids 12 to 17. Teenage Research Unlimited finds more than 70% of teens are using the Web for email, half are sending instant messages, and almost 40% are talking in public chat rooms.

What it Means to You: Web sites designed to get kids talking are big winners. Though they pose more safety and security issues than other features, chat rooms and bulletin boards allow kids to make friends, talk about trends and exchange ideas. They're not just a draw for kids, either - they provide marketers powerful insights on kids' lives.

Any Web site that lets kids interact with each other takes the online experience up a notch and makes kids feel they're part of a virtual community. That sense of belonging will bring them back.

Work Hard, Play Hard

Stat: Kids spend most of their time in front of the monitor working on homework. More than 60% of teens are researching schoolwork on the Net, according to TRU, and half are doing "fun" research, like looking up their favorite entertainers or searching for new Web sites.

What it Means to You: Offering kids educational tools, homework help or links to research content could get kids coming back for more. Kid sites should partner with educational sites where teens and tweens are cruising for homework purposes in order to nab more visitors.

Stat: The Kid Trends Online study reports 36% of kids are playing games online. Among teens, the trend skews higher among boys: 44% are downloading games, 27% are playing games on sites by themselves and 24% play games against others online, while only 29% of girls download, 25% play games by themselves and 17% play with others.

What it Means to You: Give them something to do. Even simple games can have a major impact on kids. If you're looking for longer visits (especially if you're targeting boys), a repetitive action game can provide the tool you need.

Broader Isn't Always Better

Stat: Kids' preferences differ widely based on age and gender. Older kids are more interested in shopping (22% of 18- and 19-year-olds are buying vs. 14% of 12- to 15-year-olds, according to TRU). Boys are not only more likely to be playing games, they're more curious about companies' Web sites than their female counterparts: 51% of boys are visiting companies' sites, while only 37% of girls count this as a favorite activity. Girls, however, stray further from the standard CD and book purchases, buying more clothes than boys, the Kid Trend study reports.

What it Means to You: Narrowing the age and gender target of your site, or devoting specific space to different demographic groups, can earn major loyalty points.

(Children's Market Research: Selina Guber, 212/794-0983; Teenage Research Unlimited: Michael Wood, 847/564-3440)

Where to Go for Inspiration

Looking for an example of what kids love online? Twenty-seven percent of kids 12 to 17 prefer MTV's Web site to other online spots. MTV takes the prize by a long shot, with search engine Yahoo! in second place at 6%.

(Source: Children's Market Research)

Online Meets Offline

A new Forrester study, "Entertaining Young Net Surfers," finds the Internet is having a powerful influence on what teens do offline. A quarter of kids are spending more offline on CDs, concert tickets, videos and computer games since they began surfing the Net.

Not only is spending up, but the Web is helping kids be more discriminating consumers offline. About 60% of kids head to the wired world when they're looking to pick a movie or buy a CD. Seven out of 10 say the research they do directly influences the choices they make offline. Many say they also are influenced by visiting Web sites which they happen upon while browsing for something unrelated - they may go online looking for movie times, but they might sign off and head to the music store for the latest CD.

Online or offline, though, the best advertising comes from other kids. Word of mouth earned top honors from teens for offline promotions, and recommendations from chat rooms and instant messages was their favorite form of online promotion. Kids consider Web sites and emails as effective as print ads.

(Forrester: Ekaterina Walsh, 617/613-6120)