Mary Meeker's Internet Trend Report - 2018

At the 2018 Code Conference, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers partner Mary Meeker released 294 slides in rapid succession, covering everything from smartphone behavior in the U.S. to tech company competition in China.

One of our favorite trend reports of the year has been released. Mary Meeker's report covers the internet in its entirety - extending beyond digital commerce. But, as it is where our stores reside, we anticipate and devour the broader market information that Ms Meeker provides. A few takeaways: 

  • Smartphone and internet user growth is levelling off. In 2017 smartphone unit shipments were flat. Internet user growth grew only 7% (down from 12% the year before). 

  • China continues to lead in mobile payment adoption. 

  • Time spent online continues to increase, with US adults spending almost 6 hours on digital media a day. 

  • Voice controlled products, like Amazon Echo, are quickly approaching market adoption. 

  • E-commerce sales growth is still accelerating (16 percent in the US last year). Amazon took 28 percent of that. 

  • Technology companies are facing a "privacy paradox", as they use data to provide better experiences often while violating consumer privacy. 

  • The speed of technological disruption is accelerating. The consumer internet became commonplace in less than a decade. 

Ms Meeker's full presentation is below. We cover much of the ecommerce information she provides throughout the course, but some appreciate a larger discussion of where the internet is heading. Download the slides before you press play: INTERNET_TRENDS_REPORT_2018.pdf


And, for those who want an understanding of the recent evolution, you can download previous presetantations here: 

Internet Trends Report 2017: https://www.kleinerperkins.com/perspectives/internet-trends-report-2017

Internet Trends Report 2016: https://www.kleinerperkins.com/perspectives/2016-internet-trends-report

For our recap of 2014: https://retail-assembly.org/blog/mary-meekers-internet-trends-report-2014