Urban Netizens taken to gaming
By siliconindia   |   Thursday, 28 December 2006, 18:30 IST
Printer Print Email Email
NEW DELHI: A report by Forrester Research has pegged the usage of the internet by urban Indians for gaming and other entertainment purposes as 66 percent. The study has also noticed that financial activities on the Net or even shopping appear to have been relegated to the margins. The Economic Times reported this today. However, despite the high usage of the Net for entertainment purposes among the urbanites, India trails neighboring China where 89 percent of the urban online consumers indulge in such activities on the Net. The Forrester report, The Asian Way: One PC Per Three Generations, notes that in the case of metropolitan China, Hong Kong, and metropolitan India, entertainment activities were much more prevalent than online shopping. “With 89percent of urban Chinese online consumers, 80percent of Hong Kong consumers, and 66percent of urban Indian online consumers engaging in entertainment activities online, marketers can find consumers on game, music, and video sites,” Forrester said. As the action hots up in cyberspace, marketers too are taking stock of the new medium and responding with separate internet strategies. “India is a robust market growing at around 7.4percent compared to a paltry 2.4percent growth in the US. Blogs, gaming and other forms of entertainment are a big opportunity for branding for Indian marketers,” Harish Bijoor, a marketing consultant told ET. Keeping the leanings of the Indian consumers in mind, brands such as Motorola, Pepsi (Bluebillion), and even FMCG behemoth like Hindustan Lever Limited (Sunsilk Gang of Girls) have been quick to adapt. “Our choice of media is changing as our communication is directed to the youth. That is where the internet plays a huge part,” said Lloyd Mathias, marketing director, Motorola India. According to Forrester, the percentage of urban online consumers in India, engaging in financial activities including bidding or selling in online auctions, checking stock quotes, trading stock, paying bills, checking bank accounts and making bank transfers, was below 10 percent, while those indulging in online shopping were even lesser (below 5 percent). South Koreans also show a preference for online entertainment, with 73percent of online consumers seeking fun activities online. By comparison, 54percent of South Koreans engage in financial activities online and 62percent in online shopping. Online Aussies, on the other hand, preferred financial activities to entertainment — 88percent versus 74percent — while also showing tremendous engagement with online shopping at 69percent. Japan was almost as invested in online finance as it is in entertainment and shopping, said the ET.

siliconindia