One In Two Urban Indians Are Early Adopters Of Technology

One in two urban Indians, predominantly young and affluent, are early adopters of technology and are eager to buy new products as well as adopt new technology, a new survey said on Thursday.

Technophiles in India skew towards the 18-34 years demographic to a greater extent than many other surveyed markets, according to the data provided by YouGov.

More than three in five (62 percent) dedicated followers of new technology are males and dedicated followers are twice more likely than the public to get influenced by opinions of celebrities and influencers, the findings showed.

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In India, one in three (30 percent) belong to the "dedicated followers" group and a fifth (19 percent) to the "first wave consumers". Latecomers account for just 15 percent of the online population in the country. The second wave makes up 17 percent of the Indian online population while discerning customers make up another 20 percent.

"YouGov's whitepaper shows that India has a substantial proportion of early tech adopters, with a high appetite for technology as well as high engagement with it," said Russell Feldman, Director of Digital, Media and Technology research at YouGov.

The whitepaper looked at technology adoption across 25 markets worldwide, based on more than 370,000 interviews with consumers about their tech habits and attitudes.

When it comes to personal disposable income, a third of early adopters have between Rs 10,001-Rs 50,000 per month to spend on themselves, compared to 28 percent of the urban online population. Early tech adopters in India differ from the online public even in terms of their usage of the internet. This group of technophiles is more likely to engage in every category of digital activity such as browsing, email, messaging, and streaming.

"In terms of attitudes, the early adopter group in India tends to be aspirational and are comfortable taking risks with their money. They enjoy testing new products before they go on sale," said the survey.

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Their attitudes appear consistent with the public in some areas but deviate from them in other important areas. Dedicated followers, for example, are twice more likely than the public to take the opinions of celebrities and influencers into account when making a purchase.

Dedicated followers' affinity towards social media also stands important for brands, as they are more likely to seek experiences that make for great content on social media. "Therefore, if a brand wants to engage with these new tech enthusiasts, they should approach them with enticing ways rather than mundane marketing gimmicks," the survey noted. (IANS)