The Connected Indian: 80% users say mobile is their primary device 

Havas Media's Mobext surveys on consumer behaviour find that 28% users shopped on their device in the last month and 44% of total media time is spent on the mobile

BestMediaInfo ureau | Delhi | October 3, 2012-10-03

Mobext India, the mobile marketing network of Havas Digital, has announced the India results of a new study titled 'Role of the Connected Device in the branding and buying cycle of a Consumer'. The joint global study with Inmobi, the largest independent mobile advertising network, covering 10,000 respondents and seven markets, explains how consumers use their connected device which in turn impacts shopping and media consumption habits. Mobext also studied 'Asian Advertisers/Marketers attitude towards Mobile Marketing' across six Asian markets and unveiled their thoughts and concerns.

Run uniquely across mobile/smartphone, laptop and tablet users, the survey examined the media consumption habits of 2,800+ respondents in India. A preponderant 80 per cent of the respondents said the mobile/smartphone was their primary device, 13 per cent stated the laptop/desktop and 7per cent mentioned the tablet. The average connected Indian consumes nine hours of media daily with mobile, representing a 44 per cent share.

While tablet usage peaks between 6 PM and midnight and is used at home, mobiles/smartphones and laptops are used between 9 AM-11 PM and are the primary access device from office.

“As Indian consumers are increasingly spending more time on their mobile devices and using them differently for different purposes, brands have more opportunities to interact meaningfully with their customers. Media planners can take advantage of their unique roles in the decision making process by optimising the connected device path to purchase to create a holistic media/advertising strategy,” observed Anita Nayyar, CEO, Havas Media, India & South Asia.

Mobile/smartphone was on top of the choice list as 46 per cent used it as the preferred device for communication, 43 per cent for entertainment and 40 per cent for information. For shopping, 32 per cent picked the mobile and 23 per cent the laptop/desktop as the next choice. “It goes to show how connected devices, namely, the mobile in India, will play a significant role in a purchase decision. With the market expected to grow at 50-60 per cent annually over the next few years, India is a very important market in the Asia Pacific for Mobext and Havas Media and we plan to get aggressive on this front," said Vishnu Mohan, CEO, Havas Media, Asia Pacific.

Connected devices created a double screen effect as tablets are the preferred device while watching TV, followed by mobiles/smartphones and laptops.

Arthur Policarpio, Head of Mobile, Asia Pacific, Mobext, explained, “In the UK and the US, the tablet seems to be the device of choice. In India, it is an important emerging device as its penetration increases, especially for niche brands with direct reach to their customers. Already, in the 9 PM -11:59 PM time-band when connected device usage is the highest, the tablet reigns. We have also seen that 42 per cent of users share it with their family and 41 per cent use it while watching TV; showing more eyeballs with the probability to buy.”

It was found that device purchase cannibalised other media consumption habits: 21 per cent of smartphone users read a book in print less, while 22 per cent watched less TV and 16 per cent reduced time on the Internet via a laptop. Thirty per cent of tablet purchasers read fewer books in print with 31 per cent watching lesser TV.

But users were finding interesting things to engage their connected time: 80 per cent of the activities done across all the devices in the prior month were on entertainment (video, music, games, etc.), revealing entertainment as an important sector for influencing a buy decision.

In-store behaviour was also affected as 15.7 per cent of smartphone buyers and 16 per cent of tablet buyers visited a physical store less.

“It is not about mobile but mobility which has created a paradigm shift in the way consumers access media, search for information and shop. These studies reflect our endeavour to understand this behaviour, enabling us to create engaging, compelling and meaningful conversation both with brands and consumers”, commented Arnav Ghosh, General Manager, Mobext, India & South Asia.

Insights from 'Asian Advertisers Attitude to Mobile Marketing':

• The primary benefits of mobile marketing cited by marketers are the ability to target consumers by location or geo-targeting (84.5 per cent) and personalised, one-to-one communications (63.1 per cent).
• 33 per cent say mobile marketing is a cost-efficient channel while 57 per cent say it is too early to tell
• A staggering 47.6 per cent of respondents say that mobile will be equally important as TV in the next 2 years. 44 per cent say that mobile will be more important than radio in the next 2 years.
• 60 per cent say they do not use a third-party organisation (such as a mobile agency) to manage their mobile marketing efforts. And yet, respondents who use a third party agency report higher satisfaction with results of their mobile campaigns.
• 55 per cent say they plan on investing in mobile in the next 12 months.

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