Insights and consulting company Kantar has released its ICUBETM 2019 report on digital adoption and usage trends in India. The annual tracking study gauges the changing digital ecosystem in India, measuring Internet usage by demographic, activity and device segments. Key findings of the Kantar report include an annual growth of 24% in the registered number of monthly active users and a projection of 11% growth in 2020.
Entertainment moves Online
As per the ICUBETM 2019 report, about 84% of users access the Internet for entertainment purposes. 2019 witnessed a surge in OTT, both audio and video, probably driven by original contents and Cricket (both IPL and Cricket world cup streamed on OTT Platforms). The convenience of content available across devices and on the go low-cost Internet service resulted in significant growth in the entertainment consumption in the last year. This is expected to continue in 2020 too, especially in view of the lockdown.
More children on the Internet than ever before
At 38%, school-going children segment in the age group of 15 years or below has shown promising growth in internet usage. Access to information and education, social media, gaming and entertainment, especially, Sports, are driving the adoption.
Content availability drives the surge in daily usage
Content is the king and is driving the surge in daily internet usage. ICUBETM 2019 reports growth of more than 60% in the daily Internet users in the last one year; almost 9 out of 10 active internet users were accessing the internet daily owing to entertainment and communication needs.
Rural masses continue to propel India’s digital revolution
India’s digital revolution continues to be propelled by the rural masses — Rural India registered a 45% growth in the monthly active internet users in 2019. It is now estimated that there are 264 million internet users in rural India, and this is expected to reach 304 million in 2020. Local language and video are the underlying factors for the internet boom in rural. The rural population has finally crossed the point of a chasm by embracing the Internet in a big way, resulting in a 2.5X growth in penetration in the last 4 years.
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Looking ahead
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Children and housewives will be the new Internet adopters in the next year or two. Most of these users already have Internet at home, and it will be more about breaking the mindset barriers to access the web. With the availability of curated content for these groups, the adoption will be considerably faster amongst these segments.
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Video, Voice and Vernacular (3 Vs) will be significant usage factors for the Internet users. These will drive higher engagement and frequency of usage, thereby, helping the users mature in their Internet journey.
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IOT and Smart Devices will make the internet as much a household phenomenon as it is an individual phenomenon.
Puneet Avasthi, Senior Director, Insights Division, Kantar, said, “The latest edition of Kantar ICUBETM 2019 report shows that the digital base in India has achieved strong growth with the addition of over 112 million users last year. The new decade is expected to witness the next wave of Digital India aided by the recent COVID-19 pandemic that has catalysed the speed at which the already connected consumer is getting further connected with devices, payments, e-medicine, etc. Kantar’s ICUBETM 2019 report gives a front-line view of the digital adoption and its growth drivers, thereby providing marketers with the key insights necessary for formulating their marketing and communication strategies.”
“The lockdown and social distancing have pushed users to experiment with various digital solutions, some of them by desire while others due to compulsion. The comfort of accessing services and availing their benefits from the comfort of home in the times of social distancing will continue to push users to adopt and use multiple Internet services. Given this, the year 2020 is likely to see a tectonic shift in both Internet adoption and frequency of usage. OTT, Hyperlocal services, Social media and communication and Online Payments will be some key elements that will drive the impact,” said Biswapriya Bhattacharjee, Vice President, Insights Division, Kantar.
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