With a population of 167 million and 56 million internet
users as at December 2012,
Nigeria is the biggest
internet market in Africa. Of the 115 million mobile
telephone subscribers in the country, 35 million use their
handheld devices to access internet data services.
Between 2000 and 2012, internet penetration grew from
a paltry 0.06 percent to 34 percent, and there are
indications that this trend will continue well into 2020.
Nigeria will remain the largest internet market on the
continent in the near future because it has a large youth
population (one-third of the population is between the
10-24 years age bracket) and a growing middle class
estimated at 23 percent (appx. 39 million) of the
population by Renaissance Capital in 2011.
Nigeria has
a fast-growing number of the two classes which
traditionally drive internet usage around the world.
In Nigeria, there is a draught in a comprehensive
attempt to profile Nigeria’s online users and to give a
description of what they do online, where they do it,
what devices they use to access the internet, and the
factors which affect what they do online at any
particular time.
Thus BusinessDay Research and
Intelligence Unit (BRIU) has investigated the trends and
has a comprehensive report on these behaviours.
Excerpts of the survey section of the report are detailed
below.
Survey methodology
Conducted between May and July 2013, the survey
randomly drew respondents from Lagos (82 percent),
the FCT, Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Ogun and Rivers
online.
An online portal which was programmed to
reduce the incidence of multiple responses from single
individuals was deployed. Questionnaires were then
distributed across multiple channels including Facebook,
LinkedIn, Yahoo, Gmail and specific company email
addresses.
While an online survey methodology allows for
tremendous scale and reach, it provides a perspective
only on the habits of existing internet users, which are
the focus of the research. Additionally, survey responses
are based on claimed behaviour.
Most of the respondents are employees in the financial
services industry (29 percent), manufacturing outfits (5
percent), public sector/civil servants (20 percent),
agriculture (3 percent), while media, ICT and oil and gas
account for 45 percent.
More than half are mid-level management staff; senior
management staffs make up 16 percent of sampled
individuals, while non-management personnel make up
21 percent of respondents. Only 7 percent are business
owners.
Gadgets used to access the internet
There is a clear pattern in the distribution of gadgets
used to access the internet. Laptops are the most
popular.
They constitute 62 percent of gadgets used to
surf the web. Phones and desktops account for 49
percent and 47 percent of gadgets used, while tablets
account for the lowest percentage, 24 percent (most
respondents use a combination of gadgets).
We believe that the preponderance of mobile computers
has adversely affected the trend in gadgets used for
internet access as more and more individuals are
interested in platforms which avail them of the internet
on the “go”.
Based on this, we expect further increase in
the demand for more mobile computers as more
individuals transit from the traditional cathode ray tube
systems to lighter, more energy-efficient computers.
Also, we see an expansion of demand for mobile internet
bundles.
An examination of the responses based on gender
reveals that, apart from tablets, females are more likely
to use light gadgets than males, but there is no
significant difference in the percentage of usage across
gender.
But the preponderance of tablets is higher among males
than females. Response pattern does not show an
established variation between age and the type of
devices used to access the internet.
Brands used to surf the internet
Respondents were asked if they use particular brands
for online access. Their responses present a
kaleidoscope of information which gadget marketers and
makers can use for strategic campaigns. They were
asked along phone, laptop, desktop and tablet lines.
Phone brands
More than half of respondents use BlackBerry
smartphones for internet access while Nokia and
Samsung account for 24 percent and 19 percent,
respectively, of gadgets used to access the web. Other
important bands include the iPhone which is used by 5
percent of respondents, and Sony Ericsson, used by 2
percent of respondents.
We believe that the Sony Ericsson brand is yet to make
a major mark on the Nigerian phone user; also, though
Apple products are considered as premium in the
country and are thus used by a select few, pricing can,
however, tilt this equation in favour of the brand.
Both brands may gain more ground through advertising,
putting in place some price discrimination in favour of
the Nigerian market which is still very fruitful for
smartphone users.
For the low-end market, Nokia
phones seem to dominate the market with other brands,
mainly from Asia, making a significant entry into the
market.
When gender is factored into the equation, the picture
seems to be a little more detailed as a higher
percentage of females use BlackBerry smartphones than
males. Sixty-seven percent of phones used by females
and almost half (45 percent) of phones used by male
respondents to access the internet are BlackBerry
handsets.
For the male segment of the market, 21 percent use
Samsung smartphones while 17 percent of females who
took the survey use the Samsung brand for internet
access. Nokia accounts for 27 percent of phones used
by males for access while the brand accounts for 8
percent of phones used by females.
Laptop brands
Data from respondents shows that HP brand come top
among the brands used to access the internet by
respondents. We believe that this can be used as a
proxy for the most popular laptop brands in Nigeria.
The brand accounts for over a three quarter of laptops
used by respondents to access the internet and 61
percent of desktops used. Also, correlated with HP is
the Compaq brand which also accounts for a significant
portion (13 percent) of laptops which respondents say
they use online.
Dell is also a formidable brand in Nigeria as it accounts
for 13 percent of laptops and 18 percent of desktops
used to access the internet by respondents. Other
important brands which respondents indicate that they
use are Acer, Mac and Samsung. These brands
represent a minor percentage of computers used by
respondents.
It is not obvious that there is an age or gender bias to
the use of any particular brand. A male is equally likely
to use a HP laptop or desktop as a female. What is,
however, different is that males seem to exploit a more
assorted array of brands while females use the
traditionally known brands.
Tablets
The share of tablets as gadgets used to access the
internet relative to other gadgets is still small. However,
Samsung and Apple products account for all tablets
used by respondents.
For the males and females sampled, Samsung tablets
account for a higher portion of tablets in use. They
account for 60 percent of gadgets among males and 67
percent for females.
Thus for every one iPad in use,
there are at least two Samsung tablets. Difference
across the age brackets for particular brands is not
obvious.
How respondents use the internet
The main reason respondents browse the internet is to
search for information. Other major reasons include
sending emails and work.
As many as 84 percent are online for information
gathering purposes, 81 percent use the platform mainly
to send e-mails, while for 76 percent it is part of their
work tools.
Though social media is important to users,
only 45 percent of those sampled see it as the major
reason they go online.
From the responses, it can be inferred that there is less
buying and selling activity online among respondents
compared to other online activities. Only 7 percent of
them see buying and selling as a major reason they are
on the internet, while 19 percent see paying for services
as a major reason for being online.
Finally, 26 percent of
all respondents consider checking bank accounts as a
major reason for going online.
We believe there is a vacuum in online sales and
marketing in Nigeria even as internet penetration
continues to grow.
But there is evidence that more
individuals have embraced internet banking compared to
buying and selling online. Trust, access to online
payment infrastructure and knowledge of how these
processes work have been identified as clogs in the
wheel of online buying and selling business in Nigeria.
We believe that continued reinforcement of publicity on
how the whole process works and how safe and easy it
is can significantly tilt the equation in favour of online
buying and selling in the country.
Viewed from the point of view of gender, the major
activities carried out online are the same. But while 6
percent of females see buying items online as a major
reason for being on the internet, only 1 percent of males
have the same view. Also, while 8 percent of female
respondents see paying for services as a major reason
for being on the internet, only 4 percent of males have
the same view.
Social media sites with the buzz
Across the website types, social media accounted for by
far more traffic. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, My Space,
Tumblr and Instagram were among the social media
platforms investigated in the survey. Of the lot, 73
percent of the respondents said they are active on
Facebook daily, 35 percent are active on Twitter, while
LinkedIn accounts for 25 percent of social media
presence. On the other hand, Tumblr, My Space and
Instagram are yet to make any impact on respondents.
Their combined patronage is less than 2 percent of
respondents.
All the females that took the survey say they visit
Facebook regularly, while more than a three quarter use
Tweeter. Sixty-four percent of respondents say they use
LinkedIn and Skype, respectively, while Google+ and
Whatsapp are used by half of female respondents,
respectively.
Less popular sites among females include
Instagram and Pintrest. Both sites account for less than
15 percent of female traffic.
We believe this information is important to brand
advertisers and publishers who work on female-sensitive
brands.
Targeting online advert in the direction of
websites with most of the female traffic will create the
level of brand resonance, reach and reaction which
advertisers seek. Since more women frequent these
sites, the probability that an online campaign targeted
through them will succeed is higher.
Not all male respondents visit Facebook. Only 97
percent of male respondents have Facebook accounts
and use them regularly, though this is significant.
LinkedIn is the second most important social media site
visited by males, more than half (56 percent) of all
respondents to the survey use it.
Google+, Y-Messenger, Skype, and Tweeter are used by
an average of 50 percent of respondents, while sites like
My Space and Instagram have very low penetration
among those sampled.
Advertisers and media executives who want to engender
brand awareness can use the information contained in
the complete report for selecting the best platform for
online ads.
What sites do people visit using mobile devices?
One important finding in the survey is that the amount
of traffic sites enjoyed is different depending on what
each site offers. But even among sites which offer the
same services, there are more hits for some sites than
others.
Respondents to the survey were asked about the
websites they visit most on their mobile phones and the
results show that Facebook, Yahoo, Google and
newspaper sites have the highest patronage.
As many as 73 percent of the respondents said they use
Facebook on the go, while Tweeter and LinkedIn have
35 percent and 30 percent of respondents’ attention.
The survey shows that MySpace, Instagram and Tumblr
have gained little ground in Nigeria. Their average
patronage is less than 2 percent of respondents.
Apart from social media, Yahoo, Gmail and newspaper
websites are the most frequented. Sixty-five percent of
respondents visit Yahoo daily, 44 percent of
respondents visit Gmail and newspaper websites sites
daily, while recruitment sites attract 13 percent of
traffic.
Also important is the level of attention received
by Nigerian and foreign corporate sites: they attract 12
percent and 19 percent of traffic, respectively.
Conclusion
Nigeria presents an exciting environment for ISP and
online advertisers. But understanding the dynamics of
the internet and the way those who use it do will go a
long way to engender their success. The online
environment is very dynamic and the most recent
information must be obtained as soon as it is available.
Courtesy: http://businessdayonline.com 2013








