Bangkok--31 May--Nielsen
Male netizens and those under 20 years old show higher tendency to buy Mobile internet and app usage set to increase further
Almost 1 in 2 (47%) online consumers in Thailand who claim they do not own a smartphone said they will definitely or are likely to buy one in 2011, according to a recent online survey conducted by Nielsen. This high level of purchasing intent is expected to drive the ownership of smartphones in the country even higher, from its level of 25 percent.
In 2010, smartphone ownership among netizens in the country grew by 8 percentage points, the most aggressive growth rate alongside Singapore, amongst 6 countries (Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand) in Southeast Asia.
Among Thai netizens surveyed by Nielsen, the age group between 50-54 years old are the largest group who claimed to own a smartphone ( 35%), followed by the groups aged between 45-49 years old (32%) and 40-44 and 25-29 years olds ( both groups 28% ).
Male netizens show stronger tendency to buy smartphones
Ownership of smartphones among online consumers in Thailand looks set to increase in 2011. Among those who say they do not own one yet, 47 percent indicated claimed they are definitely buying or are likely to buy one. A further 28 percent said they are not sure yet.
Nielsen’s survey also revealed that male netizens who do not own a smartphone yet have a stronger intention to buy a smartphone. 53 percent of male respondents indicated that they will definitely or are likely to purchase a smartphone, compared to 40 percent of female respondents.
Almost 3 in 4 netizens under 20 years old age group ( 72%) are the most likely to make a smartphone purchase, followed by those between 25-29 years old (60%) and those between 45-49 years old (54%).
“Even while the country awaits the arrival of a full-scale commercialized 3G network, Thai netizens seem more than willing to trade-up or buy a smartphone, so they can start to become a part of social networks and enjoy gaming experiences either via WiFi or through existing data services. They are eagerly anticipating the launch of 3G and this pent-up demand for mobile data bandwidth will further fuel the sales of smartphones and other devices when the ‘flood gates’ are open,” said Will Wang, Director of Telecom Practice, Nielsen Thailand.
Mobile Internet Usage Set To Take Off
Even though SMS (or short messaging services) is still the most widely-used mobile phone feature (83% of Thai online consumers claimed they used the SMS feature in the past 30 days), Nielsen’s research shows that usage of mobile internet is set to catch up soon. 45 percent of Thai netizens claimed they used mobile internet in the past 30 days, and half of this group accessed the internet via mobile channels at least once a day. This number is likely to increase in 2011 as 63 percent of respondents said they plan to access mobile internet in the next 12 months.
The level of usage of mobile apps is expected to grow in tandem with the rising popularity and ownership of smartphones. 17 percent of Thai respondents claimed they downloaded a mobile app in the past 30 days. 45 percent also said they know about mobile apps and are interested.
Nokia and iPhone rule among netizens
Thai netizens who use apps chose to do so via Nokia OS (49%), Apple OS (41%), Blackberry (21%), Android (16%) and Microsoft (11%). Interestingly, Nokia OS is also the most commonly used among netizens in Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines. In Singapore, Apple OS is the clear preferred choice amongst netizens in Singapore.
“While the Thai smartphone market is currently dominated by Nokia, iPhone, and Blackberry, there is a lot of room for devices running other OS platforms, such as Windows Phone and Android-based devices, to grow this year and beyond. The key to accelerate smartphone growth and the adoption of smart devices centres on 3 main pillars: content, device features, and access network. All these are developing rapidly in the country, so the future for smartphones is looking very bright,” said Mr. Wang.