Yahoo's 2019 Year in Review charts Singapore's fascination with fame, fortune and future

Malaysia's former PM Najib Razak, Singapore undergraduate Monica Baey and the Hong Kong protests have riveted Internet users in Singapore this year, according to Yahoo's 2019 Year in Review* (YIR).
 
The YIR is Yahoo's annual recap of the top search trends, events and happenings over the year, based on the daily searches across its platforms in 2019.
 
PM Najib Razak, who is linked to a scandal involving the 1MDB fund that he founded and chaired, was a subject of intense interest among Yahoo users.
 
Netizens were also shocked by a brutal Orchard Towers murder allegedly committed by a group of young adults. Natalie Siow, the only female accused in the case, made the list of top searches on Yahoo.
 
Actor Aloysius Pang and his death following an accident during his army reservist training led many to search online about 'training safety' problems and solutions. Actress Jayley Woo, who made her relationship with Aloysius public after the accident, also emerged as one of Yahoo's top searches.
 
Monica Baey, a victim of a peeping tom case at the National University of Singapore, was in the spotlight as she sparked a national debate on campus safety and the penalties meted out to sex offenders.
 
On the world stage, the frosty relations between China and the US remained top-of-mind throughout the year, including their adverse impact on the global economy. The trade war and tariffs, in addition to Chinese tech giant Huawei, which received a component supply ban imposed by the US government, were among the top search topics.
 
The sociopolitical unrest in Hong Kong also captured Singapore's attention.
 
In Southeast Asia, all eyes were on the Indonesian general elections. As 80 million people cast their vote, Yahoo users were keen to know whether the country would maintain its identity as a secular state amid rising Islamic fundamentalism.
 
For travel, Bangkok and Tokyo were the most popular destinations. Foodwise, "dim sum" was the top search, followed by "Hainanese chicken rice".
 
The Singapore Sling also made a showing in tandem with the relaunch of Long Bar at Raffles Hotel. It had been closed for renovation. "Bubble tea", "fish bee hoon" and "bak kut teh" were also popular food cravings.
 
In sports, football again dominated searches, with people looking for news about the English Premier League (EPL), the UEFA Champions League, and the Asian AFC Champions League.
 
Top English clubs Manchester United and Liverpool were also widely searched as excitement intensifies for the EPL.
 
Singapore's F1 Grand Prix continues to attract. The world's only F1 night race made the list, along with the NBA.
 
Besides celebrities Pang and Woo, Pang's manager Dasmond Koh, who helped front media interviews alongside Pang's family, piqued Singapore's interest. JJ Lin, who held a concert in Singapore with tickets resold at inflated prices, was also among Singapore's top searches.
 
Actor Dennis Chew triggered heated debates about casual racism when he appeared in a controversial 'brownface' ad, where he portrayed an Indian moustached man.
 
An Instagram direct message exchange between Ian Fang and Carrie Wong where they badmouthed fellow actor Lawrence Wong in between flirtatious texts, piqued the curiosity of Yahoo users and elevated the celebs to the top of the search list.
 
Details:

Browse the Yahoo Year in Review 2019 at https://sg.news.yahoo.com/yearinreview.

*To develop the Yahoo Year in Review, the team analyses interest patterns based on users' searches. It takes into account a number of factors, including absolute volume and growth from previous periods to identify themes and trends. Results are not necessarily a representation of a popularity contest or voting.

Yahoo releases 2016 Year in Review for Singapore

Yahoo, the guide to digital information discovery, has announced its 2016 Year in Review (YIR) for Singapore. The YIR is an annual recap of the top search trends, happenings and events which caught the imagination of Internet users in Singapore, based on users’ daily search habits and an editorial selection of what they read, recommended and shared most on Yahoo in 2016.

The list of Top 10 Singapore Headlines of the year is led by swim superstar Joseph Schooling and his clinching of Singapore’s first Olympic gold medal. Making the list are moments of political significance, such as the changes to the Elected Presidency, as well as the resignation of MP David Ong. The city-state also witnessed its first Zika outbreak, the first bank robbery in 12 years and the world’s first Michelin-starred hawkers stalls.

Viral stories included the Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen (PPAP) song in No. 1 place, Singapore Airlines’ photo fail with Joseph Schooling, which comes in at second, and incoming US first lady Melania Trump’s alleged plagiarism of current US first lady Michelle Obama’s rally speech.

Sports dominated the list of Most Popular Searches of 2016, with Euro 2016 and Rio 2016 Summer Olympics taking the spotlight. Also making the list were politicians such as Malaysian Prime Minster Najib Razak, who continued to battle scandal in relation to a state-run fund, and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong following his fainting spell during the National Day Rally. Gal Gadot, aka star of the upcoming Wonder Woman movie, also made the list of top searches, and is the only celebrity in the list.

Brexit tops the list of Top 10 Business News Headlines as it created shockwaves across international markets with the UK voting to leave the European Union. Locally, concerns were focused on retrenchment in Singapore, which made headlines several times this year. The worldwide trend of the rise of automation also made the top three, with Singapore becoming the world’s first country to run trials of on-demand driverless taxis.

Lists in the YIR include:

Top 10 Singapore Headlines of 2016

1. Joseph Schooling and Singapore’s first Olympic gold medal
2. Elected Presidency changes
3. Singapore’s slowing economy
4. Singapore’s Zika outbreak
5. PM Lee Hsien Loong’s fainting spell and Minister Heng Swee Keat’s stroke
6. MP David Ong’s resignation and the Bukit Batok by-election
7. Former President SR Nathan’s death
8. Standard Chartered bank robbery
9. Death of two SMRT employees at work
10. First Michelin-starred hawker

Top 10 Viral Stories of 2016

1. Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen song
2. Singapore Airlines photo fail with Joseph Schooling
3. Melania Trump’s speech similarities with Michelle Obama’s
4. Iguana being chased by snakes
5. Mannequin challenge
6. Olympic Games’ most unassuming medal winner
7. Shiny legs optical illusion
8. Killer clown craze
9. US  President-elect Donald Trump’s granddaughter Arabella Kushner recites Chinese poetry
10. High-rise SPCA kitten rescue

Arabella wanted to have a pre-bedtime #ChineseNewYear party this past Sunday evening. She got all dressed up and performed songs and poems for Jared, Joseph and me. It was pretty adorable 🐒#yearofthemonkey #happyChineseNewYear

A video posted by Ivanka Trump (@ivankatrump) on Feb 10, 2016 at 5:29am PST

Top 10 Singapore Searches of 2016

• Euro 2016 (football)
• Rio 2016 (Olympics)
• Najib Razak
• Lee Hsien Loong
• UEFA Champions League (football)
• Lee Chong Wei (badminton player)
• All England Badminton
• Europe’s migrant crisis
• Gal Gadot
• Singapore Open (golf)

Top 10 Business News Headlines 2016

• Brexit
• Retrenchments in Singapore
• Rise of automation
• Samsung Galaxy Note 7 fiasco
• Singapore bond defaults
• Banks caught up in 1MDB scandal
• Panama Papers
• Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat’s health scare
• SMRT’s privatisation
• Chicken rice recipe’s $2 million price tag

*Results are not a representation of a popularity contest or voting; trends are determined by experts on the Yahoo editorial team. To develop the Yahoo Year in Review, editors analyse users' interest patterns on what they searched for, read, recommended and shared. It takes into account a number of factors including absolute volume and growth from previous periods to see which themes and trends bubble to the surface. Individuals and their preferences always remain anonymous. In addition, editors also exercise their editorial judgment to decide which topics had the greatest significance and public resonance in the year.

Yahoo launches new bots to help users stay connected

Yahoo has launched three new bots to help users get the latest news, stock market trends and weather forecasts respectively. A fourth bot is a virtual pet monkey that will exchange chats and emojis with the user.

The Yahoo Finance, Yahoo News, Yahoo Weather and MonkeyPet bots are now available on Facebook Messenger.

To get started, users can simply type @YahooNews, for instance, in the Facebook search bar and message the Yahoo News app to get the latest news. The bot will immediately answer, and might provide additional links to information or options.

Source: Yahoo. 

Yahoo Finance (@YahooFinance), exclusive to Messenger, is a bot that allows users to search the latest finance and stock news and information. Information can also be shared with your friends.

The Yahoo News bot (@YahooNews) helps users to discover trending stories and dive deeper into the news.

Yahoo Weather (@YahooWeather) gathers weather information and allows selected Flickr images to be shared.

MonkeyPet (@MonkeyPet) is a virtual pet that shares selfies from its “travels.”

Interested?

Open Facebook Messenger on either iOS or Android and send a message to @YahooFinance, @YahooNews, @YahooWeather or @MonkeyPet.

posted from Bloggeroid

Yahoo Mail adds new mobile features

Yahoo has added new features to Yahoo Mail for iOS and Android users.

On iOS, users can find a new look for blue links, easier sharing and artist-made stationery, courtesy of Paperless Post. On Android, Yahoo has included a directory of all of the people interacted with, contact syncing and an open beta.

New for iOS are:

Link preview

Blue links will come with a popup that gives recipients a snapshot of what has been sent. Enhanced links can be shared on social media.

Stationery

Stationery themes are now available in the Mail app. To personalise emails, tap on the compose assist button (+), select the stationery icon and choose from dozens of stationery designs.

Share button

Source: Yahoo. Share.

Share content directly via Yahoo Mail. Just click the share button and choose the Yahoo Mail app icon.

The new features, as well as the ability to rename accounts and mailboxes, are available in the Yahoo Mail app for iOS (4.4) around the world.

New for Android are:

A complete directory

Go to the “People” Smart View in the sidebar and click “see all contacts”. An editable list of all of the people communicated with will be displayed.

Contact sync

Source: Yahoo. Contact sync.

Yahoo Address Book contacts can now be synced with an Android device’s contacts. This will be off by default. Turn it on in the Android device’s sync settings.

Open beta

Interested users can try out new and experimental features before other Yahoo Mail users by opting in.

The new features are in version 5.5 of the Yahoo Mail app on Android.

Interested?

More details are in the blog post

posted from Bloggeroid

Yahoo Mail adds to the types of content that can be added to emails

The updated Yahoo Mail app users can now send files from Google Drive or Dropbox, as well as GIFs from Tumblr when as part of their email messages. Now that users can manage multiple mailboxes from the Yahoo Mail app, the latest update helps them send emails that include content via more sources from any of their email addresses.

Source: Yahoo. Add GIFs
from Tumblr to emails.

When composing an email in the Yahoo Mail app, users can choose from top-trending GIFs around the world, courtesy of Tumblr. Tapping on the cloud icon in compose mode will lead to an invitation to connect Google Drive or Dropbox accounts, allowing instant access to all files in the cloud. Yahoo Mail will also surface items based on title or file contents for easier searching.

Additional features:

Preview large files instantly on iPhone and iPad, without downloading it first

Delete drafts permanently on Android

Android home screen widgets offer dynamically-updated information about the inbox: a preview, a badged icon, and a shortcut to the compose screen.

Interested?

These updates to the Yahoo Mail app are available for iOS (version 4.3) and Android (version 5.4).

posted from Bloggeroid

Yahoo's new Messenger is made for social

Yahoo! has introduced a new Yahoo Messenger for mobile, the Web and in Yahoo Mail on the desktop. Yahoo Messenger makes sharing, and liking messages, pictures and animated GIFs easy.

“We’re excited to introduce the next generation of Yahoo Messenger. It has long been one of our core products but it was time to redesign the product from the ground up and reinvest in one of the most important products in our history as a company,” said Jeff Bonforte, Senior VP of communication products and engineering at Yahoo.

“The messaging space has grown dramatically, yet people ultimately want a fast and easy way to communicate with each other. The new Yahoo Messenger was designed first and foremost to meet those needs. This is just the beginning of what’s to come.”

Powered by Yahoo's Flickr photo platform, the app allows multiple high-resolution photos to be viewed without interrupting the flow of the conversation. In recognition that GIFs are a standard component of conversations today, there is a GIF button in the message box that opens a GIF search and also displays a collection of the top trending GIFs on Tumblr. 'Like' a photo, message or GIF with a tap, and 'unsend' to remove messages, photos or GIFs from a conversation. Emojis are supported via the standard keyboard.

Yahoo Messenger desktop users (on the Web or in Yahoo Mail on the desktop) can also enjoy Account Key, which uses push notifications to provide fast and secure access to your account from the Yahoo Messenger mobile app. The feature takes care of passwords for the user, and makes signing-in as easy as tapping a button.

There is also an offline/low connectivity mode, which only posts content shared by the user only when the user is online.

Interested?

Yahoo Messenger is available globally today in the Apple App Store and Google Play as well as on the Web. Download the app on iOS and Android

Yahoo Messenger in Yahoo Mail on the desktop is rolling out globally starting today.

The apps are English only but will also be available in local languages soon.

*Pictures from Yahoo

Flickr for iOS 9 is out

Yahoo has introduced Flickr for iOS 9, which supports some of the new features native to iOS 9.

Source: Yahoo.

The app supports 3D Touch on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, enabling previews with a light press of the screen. In the Flickr Camera Roll, there is now a new 3D Touch gesture that previews pictures with a light press, and pops the picture to the full screen mode with a harder press.

Another new feature is 3D Touch “Quick Actions”. A light press of the app icon uploads a photo, skips to notifications or the feed or to kicks off a search. Spotlight search in iOS 9 allows searches for albums, groups or recently-viewed photos without opening the Flickr app.

With universal link support, links sent or received will now open directly in the Flickr app, instead of as a web page in Safari.

Interested?

Get the latest Flickr app for iOS

Meet the new Yahoo Mail, 18 years young

Source: Yahoo. The all-
new mobile app.

This month marks Yahoo Mail’s 18th anniversary, and the company is celebrating that occasion with a fast, intuitive and beautifully designed Yahoo Mail app.

Available on iOS (iPhone and iPad) and Android, the new app has been redesigned to be responsive, with smooth transitions. The app comes with a number of productivity features, including smarter search, contacts management and 'rich compose':

 Tap anyone in an email to see any contact information they’ve shared with you - name, company, title, email history, even recent tweets. Yahoo Mail maintains it
all for you, automatically, even when someone’s not in your address book.

 Swipe to triage: Swiping right on a message marks it read or unread. Swiping left deletes the message.

 Long press to select more than one message: Simply tap and hold on a message to go into multi-select mode. Don’t worry if you make a mistake - recent actions can be undone. 

Yahoo Mail’s search has been overhauled to be more intuitive:

 Most people search for things by the sender (either person or company), so Yahoo has made this method the fastest and easiest way to search. Enter a couple of letters of a person’s name, and the app will suggest the most likely contact.

 With searches by keyword, the app will make smart suggestions; results are more relevant and Yahoo will search across messages, photos and attachments.

The ability to compose emails is more versatile:

 Attach photos or videos from your phone by clicking on the “+” icon on your new message. Photos and videos appear right in your email, scaled automatically. 

 If you'd like to emails yourself with reminders and notes throughout the day ("me” mails),  just long-press the compose button.

Acknowledging that many have an email account from more than one provider, Yahoo Mail users will now be able to connect and manage their email accounts from Outlook.com, Hotmail and AOL Mail from Yahoo Mail on mobile and desktop. Once connected, users can access Yahoo Mail’s features across all their mailboxes. The ability to manage multiple mailboxes is rolling out globally today in the Yahoo Mail app. The desktop experience, currently available for US English users, and will be coming soon to users outside of the US.

Source: Yahoo. Mail is supported across different devices, and the Mail app will accept emails from other providers.

“Email is the most prevalent way people communicate online. However, what we want from our inbox is evolving. Mobile use requires a faster and smarter inbox,” said Jeff Bonforte, Senior VP of communication products at Yahoo. “Both of these needs are at the centre of our new app.”

The new app marks the introduction of Yahoo Account Key – a more secure and simple alternative to the traditional password. Available globally today, this new feature simplifies the sign-in process with a secure and easy-to-use interface to access a Yahoo account with the tap of a button.

“Passwords are difficult to remember and secondary sign-in verification is inconvenient and confusing,” said Dylan Casey, VP of product management at Yahoo. “Earlier this year we launched on-demand passwords using an SMS code. We’re now taking a major leap towards a password-free future with the launch of Yahoo Account Key, which uses push notifications to give users simple and secure access using their mobile device.”

Interested?

The new Yahoo Mail app is available in the Apple App Store to all global users today, and rolling out to Android users in Google Play starting today. 

Yahoo launches Livetext in Singapore

Source: Yahoo.

Yahoo has announced the global rollout of Livetext, a messaging app that combines texting and video. 

According to Yahoo, texting is quick and easy, but the meaning of a message can be missed, and texters have to wait before they get a response. A live voice conversation, however, requires a relatively quiet environment. Video and text is the answer, the company says. "With the video on, you can not only share a text with your friend, but also see their expression real time, and without having to take an audio call," the company noted in a statement. 

Editor's note: Questions to ask include whether it would be easy to type when the phone is held at the right angle for a flattering video image; the amount of mobile data required to conduct a meaningful conversation; and whether not having audio would actually detract from the video experience. Feedback is welcome!

Interested?

Download Yahoo Livetext from the App Store or Google Play Store

Yahoo contact cards add new layer of information in Yahoo Mail

Yahoo has launched the contact cards feature, which shares contact details each time users hover over a person’s name in a message, or when composing an email on Yahoo Mail. 

Source: Yahoo.

The company says contact cards, powered by Xobni technology, provide vital information at a glance, including the person's photo (or logo if it is a company), phone number, job title, and links to social profiles including Facebook* and Flickr. 

The data comes from sources which are already available to the Yahoo user, such as the user's own address book as well as Facebook and Flickr profiles (depending on what is publicly available according to the contact’s privacy settings). In addition, the cards include up-to-date phone numbers that a contact may have emailed to you in the past.

Various actions can be performed directly from the cards including searching for emails from that person, composing a new email, and adding the person to the address book. 

*To see Facebook information, users must first link their Yahoo account to Facebook by following these steps: 

1) Click on the gear in the top right corner of Yahoo Mail 

2) Select settings and then accounts 

3) Click on connect to Facebook.

Yahoo Singapore unveils how 2014 panned out in top search terms

Qi Yu Wu and Joanne Peh at
their first appearance as a
married couple, at the
opening of the Ferrero
Rocher Pasticceria Ferrero along Orchard Road
in late November.

Yahoo Singapore has announced its 2014 Year in Review (YIR), an annual recap of the top search trends, happenings and events which grabbed the attention of Yahoo users in Singapore. YIR is based on what users searched for through the year, and an editorial selection of what was most read, recommended and shared on Yahoo in 2014.

An animated film, a sporting event, and a smartphone all piqued the interest of Yahoo Singapore users during 2014, featuring among the top searches of the year. But a single news event – the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines' flight MH 370 came in at number 1. The iPhone 6, high Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) levels in Singapore and the animated movie Frozen also made it to the list of top searches on Yahoo Singapore in 2014.

Source: Apple. The iPhone
6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Top 10 Searches of the Year:

1.       MH370

2.       iPhone 6

3.       Jennifer Lawrence

4.       PSI Reading

5.       MH17

6.       World Cup

7.       Fann Wong

8.       CHC Trial

9.       Frozen Movie

10.     Hong Kong Protests

Yahoo YIR also offers insights into what captured users’ imagination across categories like Singapore’s Top 10 Newsmakers, Most Popular News, Top Sports Searches, Most Popular Celebrities, as well as Most Searched Destinations, among others. The most popular news events for Singapore included the aviation tragedies of MH370 and MH17, the haze, the City Harvest trial, protests in Hong Kong, Ebola and the South Korea ferry disaster.

Most Popular News Events:

1.       MH370

2.       Singapore Haze

3.       MH17

4.       CHC Trial

5.       Hong Kong Protests

6.       Ebola

7.       Korea Ferry Disaster

8.       ISIS

9.       CPF Protests

10.     Mobile Air Saga

As one of the most gadget-savvy nations in the world, it comes as no surprise that the highly anticipated iPhone 6 was the most searched tech device this year. Three other Apple products appear in the top 10 gadget searches, including iPhone 5C, iPad Air 2 and iPhone 6 plus. Samsung clocked in with two Galaxy devices.

Top Tech Searches:

1.       iPhone 6

2.       Samsung S5

3.       iPhone 6 Plus

4.       Samsung Note 4

5.       iPhone 5c

6.       iPad Air 2

7.       Xiaomi Mi4

8.       Ps4

9.       HTC One

10.     Xbox 360

Always in the news, Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence made it straight to the top of our most popular female celebrity list. Other local and international women celebrities who made it to the list included first-time moms Fann Wong, Kate Middleton and Kim Kardashian, and newlyweds Amal Alamuddin and Joanne Peh.

Most Popular Female Celebrities:

11.   Jennifer Lawrence

12.   Fann Wong

13.   Vivian Hsu

14.   Amal Alamuddin

15.   Miranda Kerr

16.   Kate Upton

17.   Kate Middleton

18.   Kim Kardashian

19.   Shu Qi

20.   Joanne Peh

In K-pop crazy Singapore, Hallyu stars Lee Min Ho and Kim Soo Hyun topped our list of most popular male celebrities, followed by the  baby Prince George, Justin Bieber and local actor Qi Yuwu, whose engagement and subsequent wedding to Joanne Peh caught everyone’s attention and caused quite the stir.

Most Popular Male Celebrities:

11.   Lee Min Ho

12.   Kim Soo Hyun

13.   Justin Bieber

14.   Baby Prince George

15.   Qi Yuwu

16.   Robin Williams

17.   Brooklyn Beckham

18.   Jaycee Chan

19.   Chris Evans

20.   Pierre Png

2014 was a year of major sporting events. Undoubtedly the FIFA World Cup, topped our list of sports searches. The buzz generated by the World Cup was inflated by the inadvertent humour created by the National Council on Problem Gambling’s anti-gambling advertisement. The advertisement showed a troubled boy, "Andy", whose savings were used by his father to bet on Germany, and admittedly unlikely contender which ended up as the ultimate winner of the Cup in real life. The Asian Games and WTA Finals made it to other top searches in sports.

Top Sports Searches:

1.       FIFA World Cup

2.       Asian Games

3.       EPL

4.       NBA

5.       Manchester United

6.       Commonwealth Games

7.       Lions XII

8.       WTA Finals

9.       AFF Suzuki Cup

10.     Australian Open

Maria Sharapova was the top searched athlete in 2014 and the only tennis star to make it to a list dominated by football stars including Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, Neymar and Singapore's Fandi Ahmad.

Top Athletes:

1.       Maria Sharapova

2.       Michael Schumacher

3.       Vanessa Mae

4.       Cristiano Ronaldo

5.       David Beckham

6.       Neymar

7.       Lee Chong Wei

8.       Oscar Pistorius

9.       Manny Pacquiao

10.     Fandi Ahmad

Singaporeans still love the sun, sand and sea. The most searched destinations on Yahoo Singapore this year are popular beach destinations - Maldives, Boracay and Langkawi.

Most Searched Destinations:

1.   Maldives

2.   Boracay

3.   Langkawi

4.   Genting Highlands

5.   Krabi

6.   Bali

7.   Santorini

8.   Phuket

9.   Bandung

10. Penang

The Yahoo Singapore editorial team also identified 10 of the year’s biggest newsmakers who dominated the headlines in 2014. Before this year, few would have heard of Roy Ngerng, the former healthcare programme coordinator behind the socio-political blog The Heart Truths or teen blogger Han Hui Hui. Today, Ngerng has become a household name for taking an active role in the #ReturnOurCPF movement and Han, for her infamous black Wanna Sue Me? shirt and her involvement in the movement.

Jover Chew, owner of Mobile Air, Anton Casey and Quek Zhen Hao have also taken turns making headlines this year for numerous controversies, earning their place in our list of newsmakers. Other newsmakers of the year include Singapore’s swimmer Joseph Schooling, Chinese tour guide Yang Yin, documentary filmmaker Tan Pin Pin, pastor Lawrence Khong, and local celebrity couple Joanne Peh & Qi Yuwu.

Top Singapore newsmakers

1.       Roy Ngerng

2.       Jover Chew

3.       Anton Casey

4.       Han Hui Hui

5.       Joseph Schooling

6.       Yang Yin

7.       Tan Pin Pin

8.       Lawrence Khong

9.       Quek Zhen Hao

10.     Joanne Peh & Qi Yuwu

For more of Yahoo Singapore’s 2014 Top 10s, please visit https://sg.news.yahoo.com/year-in-review 

*To develop the Yahoo Year in Review, our editors analyse user’s interest patterns on what they searched for, read, recommended and shared. It takes into account a number of factors including absolute volume and growth from previous periods to see which themes and trends bubble to the surface. Individuals and their preferences always remain anonymous. Yahoo stresses that the results are not a representation of a popularity contest or voting; it is done by Yahoo editorial team experts.

Seven in 10 Singapore mobile users click intentionally on mobile ads

Source: Yahoo, Mindshare.

Yahoo and Mindshare have announced that brands have a good opportunity to connect with target audiences when they use mobile devices. The findings are part of a joint study titled Creating Brand Connections across Devices for the Singapore market.

David Jeffs, Head of Insights, India & South-East Asia, Yahoo said, “Singaporeans are among the most gadget-savvy people in the world, with an average user spending a whopping 3.7 hours a day on mobile devices for personal use. Yahoo and Mindshare conducted this study to gain deeper insights into user behaviour, and the findings show that the mobile platform presents a clear opportunity for brands to educate and engage the connected consumer. The mobile is playing an increasingly important role in building meaningful brand experiences with consumers.”

Deepika Nikhilender, Leader, Business Planning, Mindshare Asia Pacific said, “Today brands need to optimise their campaigns keeping in view mobility and cross-device engagement. Users want mobile advertising to be relevant to the way they use the devices. The smart device is playing a key role in the path to purchase in a consumer journey. Brands need to evolve creative and innovative strategies to leverage this phenomenon and change behaviour, as this device grows in its influence in the last mile.”

This year’s study covers Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, building upon learnings garnered last year from the same study conducted in India, Indonesia and China. In this year’s study there is increased focus on the role mobile plays in the consumer’s path to purchase.

Key findings include:

1. The top 5 needs from Singapore users that are fulfilled by mobile devices:

a) Leisure activity: 72%
b) Catch up on news: 62%
c) Stay in touch: 61%
d) Morning Ritual: 60%
e) Entertainment: 38%

2. Communication and content consumption followed by entertainment and gaming are the top daily activities for Singaporean smartphone and tablet users.

3. Users in Singapore are avid readers of local news followed by breaking/international news. Female users tend to prefer content on celebrity gossip and beauty, whereas male users' preferences skew towards sports and business news.

4. On average a Singapore smartphone user reads or watches more than six genres of content throughout the day.

5. Video content consumption is hugely popular on mobile devices:

a) Bite-sized videos of three to five minutes in length are popular for users in the mornings, while long form video content is preferred later in the day.
b) Almost a third (35%) of users, have watched at least one video on their smartphones of over 20 minutes in duration.
c) Women users prefer to watch TV shows and comedy videos while men consume more sports and local news.

6. Gaming, chatting/IM and creating alarms, notes and reminders are most popular smartphone activity via apps amongst Singaporean users.

7. While smartphone usage remains consistent through the day, the primetime slot of 8 to 11 pm is device-stacked with PCs and tablets also being used. This offers brands with opportunities to integrate their campaigns across multiple screens. During this period, users were: 

a) Sending instant messages

b) Social networking
c) Playing games
d) Reading content

8. A phenomenal 87% of the surveyed users use their mobile devices for conducting pre-purchase research. This implies a paradigm shift in terms of information flow, showing that users are actively engaging with brands on their mobile devices even before buying the product. Eight in ten (81%) of the surveyed users in Singapore did pre-purchase research on their mobile devices on consumer electronics followed by research on fashion (clothes and shoes) at 74% and 67% on financial services.

9. Mobile devices are increasingly being used in the entire consumer journey of the brand especially in the path to purchase i.e. from pre-purchase to post-purchase.

a) 81% users conducted research on consumer electronics before the actual purchase.
b) 74% carried out activities in-store like comparing prices, and checking the availability of the consumer electronics product.
c) 46% continue to engage with a brand after the purchase, with activities like sharing photos/ video of the product they bought, recommendations, writing a review etc.

10. M-commerce seems on the rise with 72% using mobile devices for banking transactions and 74% for making some form of online purchase. Mobile advertising is also seeing positive engagement with 70% of the users intentionally clicking on the mobile ads.

11. A mobile user in Singapore says the ‘ideal’ mobile advertisement is about:

a) Promotions/ discount coupons: 61%
b) Rewards via ad interactions: 36%
c) Teaching something new: 29%
d) Keeping him or her up to date: 28%
e) Fun/ providing a short break: 23%

*The report is based on research about user behaviour across devices - smart phones, tablets and PCs and highlights cross-device usage, time spent on mobile devices, top daily activities, genres of content consumed, and emerging trends on mobile video, gaming and entertainment. 

Flickr Wall Art now available internationally

Yahoo has launched Flickr wall art in international markets, allowing companies to decorate their walls with the work of Flickr photographers around the world. 

In October, Yahoo announced the Flickr Wall Art service, which allows Flickr photographs from licensed artists who are part of the Flickr Marketplace to be turned into museum-quality wall prints that can be purchased on Flickr. 

The Flickr team has curated Flickr-licensed photographs in popular categories such as abstract, landscapes, travel, and animals that can be ordered in sizes from 8”x10” up to 20”x30” and shipped internationally.

Flickr's Premium Photo Mounts are printed with professional grade paper and mounted with 1” wood-textured edges. With the Gallery Canvas Wrap option, artist-grade canvas is stretched across a traditional 1.25” wood frame. 

 

Check out more information in the Tumblr post here and start browsing here. 

Read the blog post about a similar service from Getty Images here.

*These images from Flickr are the author's, but not in the Flickr Marketplace.

Flickr App for iPad is optimised for iOS 8

Yahoo has announced the new Flickr App for iPad, which makes it easy manage images on its Flickr photo sharing app from any device. According to Yahoo, the app delivers a better experience with iOS 8 for capturing, improving, and exploring images. 

Source: Yahoo.

Users who already have Flickr on their iPads can just update it, while those who would like to download the app can do so at the App store. The app is available in English, French, Indonesian, Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese, among other languages. Learn more about the app here.

Companies which use Flickr include Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Huawei, and IBM for Watson.

Flickr has advice on operating Flickr business accounts here, and best practices on how to use Flickr for sharing business information here.