Two-thirds of Indian app users have downloaded a streaming video app to entertain themselves since the pandemic COVID 19 struck the world.
According to a survey by Criteo, the global technology company powering the world’s marketers with trusted and impactful advertising, people have started looking for new ways of entertaining themselves. The report highlights a change in online shopping trends as well. About 45% of respondents downloaded a new retail shopping app in the last few weeks and 4 out of 10 respondents also said they downloaded new apps for grocery/alcohol/food delivery in recent weeks.
The report titled ‘App User Behaviour in 2020: India’ showed that apps are now indispensable for users to shop, connect with their loved ones and entertain themselves.
The report highlights that Gen Z and millennials prefer to use mobile applications much more than the older generations. They have a higher preference and convenience for using apps, and this is true across most product categories. They are seeking out more streaming entertainment apps and gaming apps.
Around 65% of Gen Z and millennials downloaded at least one video streaming app whereas, only 56% of boomers downloaded the same. However, boomers downloaded the news related apps 3% more than the millennials.
With people spending most of their time at home, 4 in 10 Indians have also increased their app usage by spending more time shopping. Social networking apps have seen the most heightened download number, 65%. Video streaming and video conferencing apps have seen a high number of downloads as well, 63% and 52%, respectively.
“From buying groceries and meals to home entertainment and workouts, apps have shown their versality to cater to varying audience segments to meet their needs and wants,” said Taranjeet Singh who is Managing Director of South East Asia and India, Criteo. “COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the relationship between mobile users and their apps, elevating their importance to users due to their convenience during these times. We see that this could continue to be the trend even in the recovery stages after lockdowns as consumers have experienced and enjoyed the benefits of using apps. Brands and retailers will have to build up their presence in this area to stay competitive in the long term.”
Advertising is an extremely important player to promote an app and seven out of 10 Indians said they downloaded an app during quarantine after seeing an ad on social networks, on TV, or a different app, and 58% of respondents downloaded an app because of ‘Word of mouth’ and recommendations of family and friends.
Fifty per cent of millennials and 49% of boomers said that they were most likely to delete the apps they have downloaded due to the lockdown, even as 79% of millennials and 83% of boomers said that they plan to make an in-app purchase they downloaded during the lockdown.
The survey also revealed that in the last 6 months, the highest share of respondents downloaded a streaming video app (85%), music app (81%), and/or retail shopping app (79%). It also highlighted that younger generations are slightly more likely than older ones to download a paid app.
A majority of respondents are willing to share their contact and location information to receive email notifications and alerts. However, asking to access too much personal information gives some users pause when downloading an app. 81% of respondents are comfortable with notifications and alerts, and 60% of respondents are okay with having their banking details saved. 7 out of 10 Indians believe that their personal and financial details are more securely stored in a retail and shopping app than buying via a mobile site.
42% of respondents who deleted an app did so because they wanted to free up storage space on their phones. 60% of respondents have uninstalled or deleted an app in the last three months. However, deleting an app does not mean forever and over 50% of respondents reinstalled a previously deleted app in the past three months, mostly because they needed the app back.
