Social Media to Surge in India, Mobile fuels Growth

The social media user base in India is likely to hit up 100m people in the near future from the current estimated 50m neitizens in the country now utilizing services including Facebook, Orkut and Google+, according to Nielsen, the research firm, and this growth will be mainly fueled by the mobile devices which are now a popular medium in accessing social networking sites.

Further, Nielsen revealed that the internet users in India dedicate more time to this pastime than any other online activities. Having a look at the present scenario, having to be active on these platforms for a minimum of 15 minutes per day are 80% of the Indian social media population, along with 30% of them spending at least an hour utilizing them on a daily basis.

Taking a future scenario, the research firm made predictions that 40m Indians will log on to social sites via a personal computer by the end of next year, with another 60m should do so from a mobile handset; this shows how crucial wireless devices will fuel to the country’s development of digital habits.

According to Nielsen, as the prices of smartphones have declined approximately 50% during the last 12 months, affordability comes into play and this has been a primary factor contributing to this trend.

Increasingly, consumers in India are now ‘‘seeking out’’ to purchase handsets that provide web access, specifically which benefits lower cost devices run by Google’s operating system – Android.

Elsewhere, assessing the existing social media pages from the sectors such as telecoms, soft drinks and automotive, Nielsen also reported that visitor behavior was broadly similar despite how many ‘‘fans’’ a brand has managed to win. By utilizing a ten-point scale of engagement, the research firm found scores ‘‘clustered’’ around seven points across the board resulting in companies failing to get the stand-out measured against their competitors.

Managing Director of Nielsen Media India, Farshad Family, said the Business Standard that “Clearly, brands are not differentiating on engagement levels. The good news for brands is that consumers are open and willing to engage with a brand.”

Among the most popular features that were offered by the existing brand pages included free products, competitions and games , along with more intangible associations like being “hip” and “aspirational”.

Data sourced from Business Standard; additional content by MP Staff