More Plan To Buy Smartphones: Survey

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SMARTPHONES

More plan to buy smartphones: Survey

By The Nation

Almost 1 in 2 (47 per cent) online consumers in Thailand without smartphones said they will definitely or are likely to buy one in 2011, according to a recent online survey conducted by Nielsen.

A further 28 per cent said they are not sure yet.

At end-2010, smartphone ownership in Thailand stood at 25 per cent, based on Nielsen Global Online Omnibus. From the beginning of 2010, the figure rose 8 percentage points, being the most aggressive growth rate alongside Singapore, amongst 6 countries (Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand) in Southeast Asia. Southeast Asia's average smartphone ownership was 25 per cent.

"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.

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 per cent), followed by the groups aged between 45-49 years old (32 per cent) and 40-44 and 25-29 years olds ( both groups 28 per cent ).

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 per cent) are the most likely to make a smartphone purchase, followed by those between 25-29 years old (60 per cent) and those between 45-49 years old (54 per cent).

On the survey of consumer behaviour, the survey found that 83 per cent of consumers claimed to have used SMS in the past 30 days. Usage of mobile internet is set to catch up soon as 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 rules

Thai netizens who use apps chose to do so via Nokia OS (49 per cent), Apple OS (41 per cent), Blackberry (21 per cent), Android (16 per cent) and Microsoft (11 per cent). 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," Wang concluded.

-- The Nation 2011-05-31