Men make up 9 of 10 mobile Web users in India

The majority of mobile Web users in India are aged 24 years and below and they are almost likely to be male.

These were the findings of the Mobile Internet Consumer India 2013 report by Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and Vserv.mobi, which provided some insights on the country's growing mobile Internet user base and found it young, affluent, and app-savvy. Some of the key highlights include:

• 60 percent of the mobile Internet users in India are below 24 years, higher than the Southeast Asia user base which stands at 47 percent;
• Surprisingly, 9 out of 10 mobile Internet users in India are men;
• Almost half of mobile Internet users in India are highly educated, armed with graduate or postgraduate degrees;
• A majority, almost 70 percent of India's mobile Internet user base belongs to the affluent earning class. They frequently eat out, watch movies, and go shopping--indicating higher disposable income; and 
• Indian consumers love mobile ads that provide downloadable content (59 percent), followed by those that help them learn about a brand (41 percent).

The report indicates mobile Internet users here are content and information-hungry, often turning to mobile advertising to fulfill these needs. They enjoy getting content and deals through mobile ads. Brands could leverage this consumption behavior to drive higher engagement and recall.

The report, designed for media planners and brand advertisers, focuses on profiling Indian mobile Web and app users, their purchasing power, lifestyle, and consumption pattern. It is also intended to help app developers, content providers, OEMs, and telecom service providers understand the evolving mobile consumer.

At the MMA Forum 2013, Narayan Murthy Ivaturi, general manager of global sales and strategy for Vserv.mobi, said: "With our report developed in close collaboration with the MMA, we aim to provide Indian marketers with ready-to-use consumer insights, explain user behavior, and address important industry challenges. As the medium passages on its growth trajectory, we will continue to help brands customize campaigns to offer a unique and targeted experience."

The report polled over 2,000 mobile Web and app users in July 2013, including smartphone and feature phone users. Random sampling was used for natural representation of the target group in India. 

MMA and Vserv.mobi recently also released the Mobile Internet Consumer Report for Southeast Asia, which provided insights into mobile Internet usage across six Southeast Asian countries, namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. All the reports can be downloaded here.