Enpocket, the global mobile media company, and Harris Interactive®, global market research and consulting company, have unveiled the findings from the first Enpocket Mobile Media Monitor for India. The analysis helps marketers and the mobile industry understand the changing patterns of mobile phone and content usage in India, whose population of more than 1.06 billion makes it the world’s second largest market.
Enpocket now conducts research into how consumers use their mobile phones across three continents, specifically in the US, UK and Indian markets.
The findings for Q4 2005 show that India has the highest SMS penetration compared to the United Kingdom and the United States. 93% of surveyed respondents said that they have used SMS in the past three months, compared to 38% in the US and 81% in the UK.
India also leads in terms of ringtone downloading with 60% of Indian mobile users reporting that they have downloaded a ringtone in the past six months. By comparison, less than 25% of UK or US respondents reported having downloaded ringtones.
The Mobile Media Monitor also found that India has the highest proportion of consumers downloading wallpapers, with 42% having downloaded a wallpaper in the past 3 months. Wallpaper usage is significantly higher in India than in the US or UK where just 16% of subscribers in each country report having downloaded a wallpaper.
“India is no exception to the trend that mobile as a communications medium is getting richer and a lot more exciting,” said Mike Baker, President and CEO of Enpocket. “Although mobile penetration in India is still relatively low, the Mobile Media Monitor shows that this market is already very sophisticated. As a result, wireless is emerging as an effective way for advertisers, marketers and content providers to reach a significant portion of India’s population.”
The Mobile Media Monitor analysis was based on more than 500 online interviews in India conducted by Harris Interactive in October 2005, and related to the period August-October 2005.
About Harris Interactive®
Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe (www.harrisinteractive.com/europe) and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiary Novatris in Paris, France (www.novatris.com), and through an independent global network of affiliate market research companies. EOE M/F/D/V
Harris Interactive Inc. (www.harrisinteractive.com), based in Rochester, New York, is the 13th largest and the fastest-growing market research firm in the world, most widely known for The Harris Poll® and for its pioneering leadership in the online market research industry. Long recognized by its clients for delivering insights that enable confident business decisions, the Company blends the science of innovative research with the art of strategic consulting to deliver knowledge that leads to measurable and enduring value.
To become a member of the Harris Poll OnlineSM and be invited to participate in future online surveys, go to www.harrispollonline.com.
Methodology
The Mobile Media Monitor US was conducted by Harris Interactive between 12 and 24 October 2005, among 502 adults aged 16 and over in India.
In theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a sampling error of plus or minus 2 percentage point. Unfortunately, there are several other possible sources of error in polls or surveys that are probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error. This includes refusals to be interviewed (nonresponse), question wording and question order, and weighting. It is impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors. These online samples were not probability samples.
