Thursday, December 15, 2011

Mobile Phones Gaming Survey

As we all know, mobile phones have become omnipresent. Talk, text, play… there is very little you can’t do with your handset these days. To understand the growth of mobile gaming, Market Pulse conducted a survey across prominent metros and tier 2 towns of India.

Usage behavior

Of the 14% gamers are using smart phones, 54% were using Nokia and 28% were using Samsung.

Time is Money and Money Matters…

Influencers:

36% respondents said that they are influenced by advertising when purchasing a game, 22% pay heed to game reviews while 38% are influenced by family and friends.

Money Spent:

91% respondents spend less than Rs. 100 on purchasing games every month.

Time Spent:

A whopping 92% game lovers said that they spend less than an hour playing games on mobile phones every day and 80% spend the same amount playing games on social networking sites. Youngsters (8%) spend up to 2 hours on playing games on mobiles phones everyday as compared to their older counterparts (3%).

And the Winners are…

Be it live sports or be it sports played on a gadget, Cricket remains India’s favorite. 55% players say they enjoy playing cricket on their mobile phones. Car racing games (31%) and “Snake” (24%) are other crowd pleasers.

Mobile phone games like Contra (5%), Carom (6%) and Moto GP (6%) are other favorites among the older game lovers, while the younger generation is showing a growing appetite for games like Chess (8%), Carom (8%), Bike Racing (11%) and Tekken (5%).

Those with an MHI less than Rs. 20,000 prefer to play games like Cricket (58%), Car racing (29%), Snake (29%), Sudoku (11%) and Mario (14%) on their mobile phones. As the income level increases, games like Angry Birds (6%), Need for Speed (6%), puzzles (15%) gain popularity at the expense of the traditional games.

Preferred Genres:

Gamers prefer action packed, exciting and invigorating games as is evident by the genres of games they like playing. Racing (57%) is most preferred followed by Action (46%), Sports (41%) and Action – Adventure (26%).

Racing is the most liked genre with 55% (MHI less than 20,000) and 49% (MHI 20,000-40,000) enthusiasts giving it preference. Genres of role playing, strategy and simulation are least liked by both income groups.

Interests

63% game lovers are interested in multi-player games which can be played online. This was higher at 71% among those with MHI of less than Rs. 20,000 and 56% with MHI Rs. 20,000-40,000.

Then what?

While 87% respondents can’t say what it is that they look for in games and 96% can’t say what will make these games better, one thing is for sure… India loves its games. And we love the fact that Indians let the child in them have fun.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Electrical Switches Market in India

“Switching it on”

Electrical switches comprise three types: Modular, Semi Modular and Non Modular, which have traditionally been the mainstay of the market. In volume terms, 32% of all switches sold were modular switches while only 9% were semi modular, in the last quarter.

West zone registered the highest contribution of modular switches while East registered the lowest. The West zone also registered an overall increase in sales of all brands of non modular switches (specially the local brands) due to “Grah Pravesh” during Ganesh Chaturti. While modular switches did no grow over the same quarter last year, there was a 25% volume growth in non-modular switches. Importantly, semi modular switches registered the highest growth, clocking an impressive 36% over last year.

Sales by Product Type:

Switches are stocked or sold by 94% of the electrical goods retailers. Of this, modular switches are stocked by approximately 61% of the electrical retailers. Non modular switches registered the highest presence in the switches category, while Anchor modular and non modular switches have the highest presence in town tiers 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Sales by Channel Type:

Project sales are those affected by outlets to institutions such as schools, colleges and housing projects whereas retail sales comprise sales to smaller individual customers. Project sales constituted only 20% of the total sales of switches and were highest in South with Hyderabad being the highest contributor in the sales of both, modular and semi modular switches. Schneider switches had the highest sales contribution in project sales while Anchor non- modular switches had the highest sales contribution in retail sales.

Popular Brands and Prices:

Anchor, Havells, Legrand, MK, Wipro and Orpat are some popular modular switches. Philips has, as of yet, failed to make a mark in this sector. Anchor, GM, Kolors, Pretty are popular brands in semi modular switches while Anchor is the biggest brand in non modular switches along with local and regional brands.

Market Shares:

While Anchor remains the market leader, Havells saw a significant increase in its market share in the modular category because of better distribution service and increased promotional activities. Regional and unbranded players which were witnessing a rise in market shares saw a decline because of increased promotional activities by brands like Havells and Legrand. Anchor non-modular switches lost market share to local brands in the East Zone primarily because of the various trade related incentives offered.