Doubling of searches for ‘wireless broadband’ over the last three months reveals demand for 3G mobile services
Nokia the most searched for mobile handset manufacturer in India
Micromax, over takes Apple iPhone to become third most searched mobile handset manufacturer in India
Indian consumers remain price sensitive when purchasing a mobile phone
Mumbai, 18 October 2010 — Experian Hitwise, the leading global online competitive intelligence service, today released analysis which reveals that India could be on the verge of a wireless Internet breakthrough. Experian Hitwise’s research shows that Internet searches for ‘wireless broadband’ in India have doubled over the last three months ahead of 3G mobile services being rolled out.
Internet search data in India reveals a real appetite for fast wireless Internet services. Searches for “wireless internet” have more than doubled (110%) over the last three months, while “mobile movies” is currently one of the eight most popular mobile phone related search terms in India. Searches for “wireless internet services providers in india” have increased by 42.2% over the last three months, and telecoms companies offering such services are proving popular online. The top three online destinations for people looking for wireless Internet services in India are Tata Indicom, Reliance Netconnect and MTS.
The most searched for mobile phone manufacturers in India
According to Experian Hitwise’s analysis, Nokia mobile phones are the most searched for handsets on the Internet in India. Two in every five (40.1%) Indian mobile phone related Internet searches were for a Nokia model or the company’s brand during the 12 weeks ending October 2nd. Eight of the 10 most searched for mobile phone models in India are manufactured by Nokia, with the company’s 5233 model claiming the top spot.
|
Brand |
Market share of Indian mobile phone related searches, 12 weeks ending October 2nd |
|
Nokia |
40.1% |
|
Samsung |
14.3% |
|
Micromax |
6.4% |
|
LG |
2.8% |
|
Black berry |
2.0% |
|
Apple (iPhone) |
1.2% |
|
Sony Ericsson |
1.1% |
|
HTC |
1.0% |
|
Karbonn |
0.6% |
Samsung was the only other manufacturer to have models in the list of the top 10 most searched for mobile phone models in India. The company’s Corby phone is currently the second most searched for in India, and Samsung is also the second most searched for mobile phone brand, accounting for 14.3% of all mobile phone related searches in India.
The third most searched for brand was Micromax (6.4% of Indian mobile phone related searches), a local Indian brand, followed by LG (2.8%) and Blackberry (2.0%). Although Blackberry sells a number of models in the Indian market, consumers tend to search for mainly for ‘blackberry’ rather than specific models. As a result, if all of the searches for Blackberry phones were considered to be one model, Blackberry would currently be the second most searched for mobile phone model in India after the Nokia 5233.
Most searched for mobile phone models in India
|
Brand |
Market share of Indian Internet searches for a mobile phone brand or model, 12 weeks ending October 2nd |
|
Nokia 5233 |
2.55% |
|
Samsung Corby |
1.70% |
|
Nokia X6 |
1.56% |
|
Nokia N8 |
1.37% |
|
Nokia 2690 |
1.28% |
|
Nokia X3 |
0.94% |
|
Nokia 5239 |
0.86% |
|
Nokia C3 |
0.82% |
|
Nokia X2 |
0.79% |
|
Samsung Champ |
0.79% |
Apple, manufacturer of the iPhone, is ranked sixth on the list of most searched for mobile phone manufacturers.
“The iPhone is the most searched for mobile phone in many oversees markets, including the USA and the UK, but it has yet to catch on in the same way in India,” commented Navin Chandani, Managing Director of Marketing Services, Experian India. “Traditional mobile phone manufacturers such as Nokia and Samsung currently dominate the market in India, but this is likely to change as the rollout of high speed 3G wireless services gather pace in India. The established players will face increasing competition from smartphones from companies such as Blackberry, Apple and those powered by Google’s Android operating system.”
Indian consumers remain price sensitive when purchasing a mobile phone
Despite the growing demand for more advanced mobile phones and services, Indian consumers remain price sensitive when it comes to mobile phones: almost 1 in every 5 (19.0%) mobile phone related searches in India include the keyword “price”.
“The research findings from Experian Hitwise reveal that mobile phone manufacturers and service providers will want to ride the wave of demand for high speed mobile services in India, but their products and services must be a the right price point to succeed. Indian consumers also look for flexibility and the ability to purchase additional products and services for their phone: three per cent of mobile phone related Internet searches in India refer to dual SIM options, while one in nine are for games, wallpaper or themes,”, commented Navin Chandani. “The online analysis from Experian Hitwise enables CMOs to understand rapid developments in their target markets and provides a critical input for brands to define and implement their marketing and sales strategies.”
ENDS
Contact:
Experian India
india.marketing@experian.com
About Experian Hitwise
Experian Hitwise is the leading global online competitive intelligence service, helping clients protect and grow their market share through the application of internet measurement data. Experian Hitwise measures the largest sample of internet users - 25 million worldwide. This sample size allows clients to understand internet behavior and competitive activity through data that is unmatched in timeliness, depth and breadth.
About Experian
Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients in more than 65 countries. The company helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report and credit score, and protect against identity theft.
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