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.
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……….For details click here.
Culled from businessday online.
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