The Pakistani Digital Consumer Profile
Dr Farrah Arif
Cambridge | Harvard | Queen Mary | Associate Professor | Founder | Trainer
In the digital age, marketers would like to focus on how to convert customers into advocates (https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/using-digital-lens-care-marketing-farrah-arif?trk=mp-reader-card). One of the critical aspects that marketers need in the process is to have in-depth understanding of digital consumers.
Marketers define digital consumers as those who go online for information irrespective of their offline or online buying patterns. Digital consumers may be divided into sub-categories, each with their own distinct characteristics. In developed economies, there is a tremendous penetration of digital consumers. For Example, “Americans now own four digital devices on average, and the average U.S. consumer spends 60 hours a week consuming content across devices” (https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/reports/2014/the-us-digital-consumer-report.html)
We suspect that digital consumers of such economies might be different as compared to those where smart devices and online payment systems are in its infancy, such as Pakistan.
From our ongoing data collection, we identified three major segments of Pakistani digital consumers:
- Digital Informer: Purchases in-store but use online predominantly as a source for information; frequently does browsing and online social networking; has a lowest level of influence through brand & the company's social and ethical attitude; exhibits highest affinity toward new devices (e.g. tablets, smartphones, etc.); has lowest acceptance of credit card payments and highest preference for 'payment on delivery' transaction.
- Sophisticated Digital Consumer: Highly brand focused and loyal; purchases predominantly in-store but has highest acceptance of credit card payment; exhibits higher affinity toward new devices (e.g. tablets, smartphones, etc.); highly interest in company's social and ethical attitude.
- Passive Digital Informer: Not influenced through brand & the company's social and ethical attitude; exhibits lower affinity toward new devices (e.g. tablets, smartphones, etc.); has lower acceptance of credit card payments and higher acceptance for 'payment on delivery' transaction; purchases in-store but use online predominantly as a source for information.
For more info on 'Marketing in the Digital Age' visit "https://www.facebook.com/mDigitalAge".
Be a part of our conversation on Twitter with #mDigitalAge.
Consultant at Emirates - NBD.
6 年Very informative article. In Pakistan still, most of the consumers are Digital Informer and there are many reasons behind this approach of consumers i-e social status belonging like middle or lower income families are more sensitive to price and quality, but still, these consumers have mobiles, tablets, laptops but can't online transactions or can't afford such services or don't have access or need to be involved but they perceive the price and quality of what they want and makes decision accordingly.
Academic Director | Harvard | Cambridge | LUMS | Founder | PhD Educational Leadership & Neuropsychiatric | Psychiatrist by PMDC | School Principal| IB | Author |
7 年online shopping is getting boom in Pakistan in Digital age as some of the shops are providing great services but Pakistan must also provide access to international shopping like amazon.com and ali.com etc. Recently , I went to china, I found that people in china are purchasing from the amazon.com online shops as these type of international online shopping will also bring competition as well as new innovation in online shopping
Senior Financial Controller | M.Sc. Finance | MBA | Germany
9 年informative.....
??? ?? ??? ?? ???? ???? ???? ??? ?? ?? ???? ???? ?? ?? ????? ?? ???? ??? ?? ?? ??? ?? ?? ???? ???? ?? ??? ??? ??? ?? ???? ??? ?? ???? ????? ??? ????? ???? ????? ?? ???? ?? ? ?? ????? ?? ??? ????
Performance Marketing | Growth | User Acquisition | Digital Strategy
10 年I believe Passive Digital Informers in Pakistan are large in numbers that are not ready to start evolving into Internet for doing online transaction due to credit ability and trust concern. Rest of two consumer sets are growing with passage of time and internet awareness in daily lives. Pakistan can only grow if passive digital informers get familiar about digital economy and its advantages.