Blog post
Resurgence of the personal computer (PC) as the productivity hub for work and life
As digital acceleration continues, people are settling into a new norm where hybrid work is the reality, and people mix doing their jobs and personal tasks online during the day on their work personal computers (PCs). The need to be productive in everything, from shopping to getting work done, and reading the news to attending meetings, is a priority in this new phase of work and life blending, and with this change has come new opportunities for advertisers to connect when and where people are getting things done on their PCs.
With the exciting launch of Windows 11, there are more ways for people to be productive and get what they need done online: Windows 11 focuses on productivity and managing hybrid work, learning and life.
Learn more: Windows 11 launch site
Bringing people closer to what they love
Microsoft reimagined the way a PC should work; that it should provide easy access to the information people need. Windows 11 is designed to cut through noise, clutter and chaos to do exactly that.
As people multitask on Windows devices, they are searching – quickly – for relevant information. The integration of Microsoft Bing search in the taskbar on Windows puts information at the ready without them ever having to launch a browser or click to another website.
Windows 11 comes with Widgets, which provide easy access to news, information and entertainment that is personalized to what people care about. Microsoft Start, the service that provides personalized news and information from premium publishers for free, brings a wealth of information into the Windows experience through Widgets, as well as across Android and iOS devices through an app.
Reaching the Windows audience on Microsoft Advertising
People are in a productivity mindset as they multitask throughout the day. The Microsoft Advertising Network helps advertisers reach people in the right moments across work and life. A large part of the audience reached via Microsoft Advertising are the people who use Windows. In fact, the Microsoft Search Network has a large search share on Windows devices – 47% of searches.1 If advertisers are not spending with Microsoft Advertising, they could be missing out on reaching an audience that is valuable for their businesses:
The Windows audience spends 72% more online than the average internet user2 and have a high propensity to spend online.
Learn more: How propensity to purchase can accelerate advertising results
Windows users are also more likely than the average internet user to make a major purchase online3:
- 34% more likely to have purchased a car online
- 46% more likely to have purchased a mortgage online
- 26% more likely to have purchased a laptop online
- 17% more likely to be planning to purchase a vacation abroad
With more people online now than ever, search plays a critical role in helping people find what they need. 48% of consumers worldwide used search to start looking for products in 2020.4
Microsoft Advertising connects advertisers with people at the intersection of work and life and continues to provide integrative experiences in Windows to help people be productive, which provides advertisers the opportunity to reach people in the moments in which they are getting things done.
Learn more: Connecting with audiences across work and life
[1] Comscore, PC Search Share of Windows Devices, March 2021.
[2] Comscore, custom reporting, aggregated browser, September 2020 – December 2020.
[3] GWI, Crosstab Builder, Q4 2020.
[4] Online sources used by consumers worldwide to start searching for products as of March 2020, Statista, April 2020.
