New Delhi: Monthly active users of Instagram in India more than doubled in a year, as of September 2015, according to a study conducted by market researcher Nielsen NV.
Insights from the first-time study, which focused solely on the Indian user, were shared by Kirthiga Reddy, managing director, Facebook India, in Delhi on Wednesday.
Reddy said that Instagram, the mobile photo-sharing, video-sharing and social networking service of Facebook Inc., continues to build momentum and has grown to more than 400 million users globally this year. Among the last 100 million who joined Instagram, more than half live in Asia and Europe.
The study found that Indians on Instagram are mostly young, mobile-first users with high spending power. More than 80% of them use their phone to take pictures to post on social media. The 18-24 age group is the most active on Instagram. Interestingly, Indian Instagrammers are avid travellers; 50% of whom have taken four vacations in the past year.
The study also observed that Indian users not only share pictures but also follow brands on Instagram. Over 50% of Indian Instagrammers have frequently purchased products and services from the brands they follow. They also follow brands to keep in touch with the latest products, learn about deals and shop for products online.
Other interests that the Indian users have include music, travel, food, photography, technology, fashion and sports.
The study also revealed that Indians use Instagram to express themselves artistically among like-minded people, follow celebrity trends, discover information and updates on new trends, share food and travel options and connect with their friends. Not surprisingly, Bollywood actors such as Deepika Padukone and Shraddha Kapoor have the maximum following.
“Instagram is the creative canvas for a young, passionate and mobile-first Indian community. People come to Instagram for visual inspiration, and we are thrilled to offer solutions that create value for the Indian community and drive impactful business results for businesses of all sizes,” said Reddy.
As of September this year, Instagram opened its platform to businesses around the world and rolled out its suite of advertising solutions.
In India, advertisers on Instagram include Procter and Gamble Co., Nestlé India, Paper Boat, Grofers, TrulyMadly Matchmakers, and Sportskeeda.
Paul Webster, brand development lead for Instagram Asia Pacific, shared a few case studies on the impact Instagram had on Indian advertisers.
After advertising on Instagram, Nestlé KitKat, for instance, saw a 42 points lift in ad recall, a six-point increase in message association and a ten-point increase in message association for those between 15 and 17 years of age.
Beverage start-up Paper Boat too saw an uplift in its brand impact. There was an 18-point lift in ad recall, 25 points lift in ad recall in the 25-45 age group and a 15-point increase in campaign awareness.
Parvesh Debuka, head of marketing at Paper Boat, said: “The only stories that the results had to tell were how well the campaign has done, and there is only a strong growing relationship Paper Boat foresees with Instagram.”
Hyperlocal delivery app Grofers saw an 8% incremental reach to core target audience and a 50% lower cost per app install. “We’re using Instagram advertising to raise awareness with new users and have seen an 8% incremental reach to our core target audience. In addition, the app’s cost-per-install (CPI) is 50% lower compared to other benchmarks,” said Kshitij Torka, vice-president for marketing at Grofers.
Instagram has also boosted business for small businesses like Sportskeeda.
“Instagram has helped drive significant growth for Sportskeeda, including a 10% increase in mobile app downloads and a higher percentage of loyal app users. Sportskeeda’s results were achieved through both precise targeting and high-quality video creative,” said Porush Jain, chief executive officer and founder of Sportskeeda.
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