CMR: Impact of COVID-19 on mobile phone usage habits and behaviors in India

A new study conducted by CMR in collaboration with HMD Global has assessed the impact of COVID-19 on mobile phone usage habits and behaviors in India.

Key findings:

• The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted music consumption. Three-quarters of Indians listen to music at least once a day. In addition to music, smartphone users also consume podcasts. 81% of feature phone users prefer radio and MP3.

The percentage of Indians listening to music by age group:

• 18-25: 82%
• 26-32: 85%
• 33-40: 71%
• 41-50: 68%
• Freemium audio content is popular. One-third of users prefer freemium audio content. They spend an average of 7 hours per week listening to music and other content.

Audio listening in India by age group:

• 18-25: 8 hours
• 26-32: 8 hours
• 33-40: 6 hours
• 41-50: 6 hours
• 76% of Indians say they need a digital detox (Digital detox refers to a period of time when a person stays away from electronic devices such as smartphones and computers to relieve stress or shift their focus to real-world social activities).

Three-quarters of Indians need an additional feature phone for listening to audio content and communicating.

3/5 of users are likely to use feature phones instead of smartphones to listen to music easily and relieve fatigue.

• Additional devices should have long battery life (86%), high-quality music playback (84%) and powerful speakers (70%).

The proportion of Indians looking for high-quality music by age group:

• 18-25: 86%
• 26-32: 88%
• 33-40: 82%
• 41-50: 78%
• Brand trust (84%) and reliability (78%) are most important, especially for feature phone brands.

Importance of brand trust among Indians of all ages:

18-25: 78%

26-32: 84%

33-40: 82%

41-50: 90%

199IT.com Originally compiled from: CMR. Please do not reprint without authorization