Asia Online

The spectacular turn to online business and lifestyle has been particularly marked in Asia. Not only has the meteoric rise in internet use and web-based commerce provided new platforms for organisations on the Asian continent, it has opened up forums for exchange and traffic throughout the world.

In 2003 there were 19.4m Japanese people using the internet, representing a 129% increase over the previous year. China witnessed an increase of 750% from 2.5m users in 1999 to 21m in 2003. To put these figures in perspective, they exceed the 176% increase in internet use in Britain between 1999 and 2003. As most of the world is coming to realise, China is by far the fastest growing hub of internet use. User numbers are estimated to double every 12 to 18 months, and in April 2003 the proportion of the population online was second only to the US, then followed by Germany, Japan and the UK.

European languages, Asian languages and English each account for approximately a third of all internet usage. Between them, Chinese, Japanese and Korean internet users represent a quarter of the world's online population. A large number of those users in Europe and the Americas access the web in more than one language, one of which is often English, while Asian countries have the highest proportion of users who are linguistically isolated or not practised in English.

With such dramatic changes in recent months and years, it is not surprising that individuals and organisations on both sides of the world are seeking to push their online marketing strategies through language barriers and geographic divides. The gradual easing of trading regulations and cultural animosities has furthered the move to globalisation for many.

Once a website or set of materials has been localised, an enterprise can be made available throughout the Far East. Western businesses are increasingly looking to promote their activities amongst the bustling Asian net community, and consistently using electronic platforms to do this.

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