Instagram releases India specific study, woos advertisers

The Nielsen study revealed that Instagram's Indian monthly active users have more than doubled over the past year.

Two months after the photo-sharing app Instagram opened advertising in India, a study titled 'Indian on Instagram' by Nielsen revealed key user insights. As per the findings, Indians on the photo sharing app are mostly young, mobile-first users with high spending power.

Instagram also claims that its monthly active user base in the country has more than doubled over the past year (as of September 2015). Globally, the current user base of the platform stands at 400 million, with 75 per cent from outside the US. Among the last 100 million to join Instagram, more than half live in Asia and Europe.

The study further highlighted that over 90 per cent of local Instagrammers are under the age of 30, with the 18-24 age group being the most active on the platform. More than 80 per cent of the users take photos from their phone to post on social media.

In terms of user trends, the study states that Indian Instagrammers are avid travellers, of whom 50 per cent have taken four vacations in the past one year. Over 50 per cent have frequently purchased products and services from the brands they follow. They also follow brands to keep in touch with the latest products, learn about deals, and shop for products online.

The key interests of Instagram users include music, travel, food, photography, technology, fashion and sports.

Speaking about the app, Kirthiga Reddy, managing director, Facebook India, says, "Instagram is the creative canvas for a young, passionate and mobile-first Indian community. People come to Instagram for visual inspiration and we are thrilled to offer solutions that create value for the Indian community and drive impactful business results for businesses of all sizes."

Reddy also informs that they have been actively involved in driving the education agenda amongst advertisers and agencies. Instagram has been conducting roadshows, primarily in Mumbai and Gurgaon, reaching out to top agencies like Dentsu, GroupM and Publicis, on how they can best leverage the platform for clients.

Instagram launch partners for advertising in India were Unilever, P&G, Nestle and Hector Beverages. However, the platform refuses to reveal its current number of advertisers in the country. Apart from the top four advertisers, some of the new players who have been using Instagram include digital companies like Grofers, TrulyMadly and Sportskeeds.

Currently, brands can advertise separately on Facebook and Instagram which offers a range of formats and price points as per the budget of the company.