Vserv unveils first Smartphone User Persona Report in India

According to the report, the Indian smartphone user base is growing at a CAGR of 26 per cent, from 2013 to 2017.

As the Indian smartphone market is constantly expanding, Vserv conducted a study to understand how Indians are using their smartphones. It has launched a report, in collaboration with Nielsen, called the Smartphone User Persona Report (SUPR), which is the first-of-its-kind in the country. The detailed report provides interesting insights about Indian app usage and app downloads.

Vserv has classified users into six broad categories in the report - App Junkie, Social Stars, Conversationalist, Entertainment Buffs, Utilitarians and Dabblers. Attached is an infographic based on the report which showcases the user personas along with the time spent, consumption patterns, apps used, etc.

According to the report, the Indian smartphone user base is growing at a CAGR of 26 per cent, from 2013 to 2017. This boom in the Indian smartphone market is primarily being propelled by Indians under the age of 25 years, with the report highlighting that 63 per cent users fall in that age bracket.

Key highlights from the report:

• As per the study, smartphone users spend an average 169 minutes per day on their devices

•Nearly 25 per cent of the smartphone users that download 18.5 mobile apps & games every month are categorised as App Junkies

• Nearly 20 per cent of the smartphone users that spend over two hours a day using chat and social networking apps are classified as Social Stars

• 15 per cent of smartphone users that spend almost an hour each day playing games, listening to music or watching videos on their smartphones are segmented as Entertainment Buffs

Pranab Punj, associate vice president, global marketing, Vserv, says, "Today, it is imperative for marketers to move beyond demographic data and embrace smart data based targetting to stay ahead in the game. Marketers need to formulate their strategies focussed on user personas and their intent. This report, based on a study conducted by Nielsen Informate Mobile Insights, provides pertinent insights on Indian smartphone users. This will equip marketers to target the right audience and formulate tighter marketing strategies that yield better results."

SUPR is based on automated usage data collection from over 12,000 smartphone users in India, over a three month period. The study was conducted using innovative smartphone metering technology installed by opt-in panelists on their smartphones. From the two-step cluster analysis, with 22 actual smartphone usage parameters as input variables, six smartphone user personas emerged. The full report can be viewed here.