Market share for Facebook in India increasing by 88 per cent year on year: Experian Hitwise

As per a study conducted by Experian Hitwise, Facebook, YouTube and Orkut continue to be the top three social networking websites in India.

Experian Hitwise, the global information services company, has conducted an international study on just how much time people living in different countries spend on social networks. Brazil, Singapore, USA, India, New Zealand, France, Australia and the UK were a part of the study. As per this study, India ranks 4th and has 14 per cent market share for social networks and forums. Facebook, YouTube and Orkut continue to be the top three social networking websites in India.

Social networking from Rediff has shown the maximum growth in terms of market share, while Facebook has the third highest growth rate, albeit over a much larger base.

Social media provides maximum traffic to search engines and other social networking sites, entertainment and gaming. The banking and financial services segment also gains a lot from social media.

As per the study, social networking sites are amongst the top three sources of traffic for the industry categories such as automotive, community, computers and internet, education, entertainment, food and beverages, health and medical, lifestyle, music, news and media, shopping and classifieds, sports and travel.

The study also divulges that the country that has experienced the fastest growth in Facebook use over the past year is India, with the social network accounting for an increase in market share of 88 per cent in August 2011, compared to August 2010. India ranks 8th in terms of average session time spent on Facebook. In August 2011, the average session time spent on Facebook was 20 minutes 21 seconds.

Internationally, there is a slow and steady increase in the market share of social networks in terms of visit share since August 2010.

Sharing his insights on the study, Navin Chandani, managing director, India, Experian Marketing Services, says, "Understanding how much time people in different countries spend on Facebook is vital for any brand on the social network. With Facebook still finding its feet in emerging markets like India and Brazil, lower session times are to be expected -- users won't have as many friends or groups that they have signed up to. However, that doesn't mean brands should ignore Facebook in those countries as its influence and dominance is only set to grow."