digital kenya key findings march 2010

Digital Kenya

A study to understand

the on-line life of Kenyans

Key findings

5th March 2010

1

For further information regarding this project please contact:

� Melissa Baker – [email protected]

� +254 722 522657

Contents of the presentation

A study partnership between TNS Research International

and the ICT Board of Kenya

•• Why Digital Kenya now?Why Digital Kenya now?

•• Internet in our livesInternet in our lives

•• Social life & engagementSocial life & engagement

•• MarketingMarketing

•• KnowledgeKnowledge

•• Government of Kenya servicesGovernment of Kenya services

So why Digital Kenya?

• To help organizations understanding of how people in Kenya use the

internet

• To provide new analysis of the consumer and what motivates them

to behave in particular ways when they are on-line

• To understand the needs of users of the digital space in Kenya so as

to harness opportunities and drive innovation of services for the

future

6 key themes of our study

The internet

in our livesKnowledge

Buying

& selling

Social

life &

engage

-ment

GOK &

social

services

Marketing

Basic facts and figures

User typology

5

In depth interviews

Timing

On-line survey

1,669 responses

Weighted to match Kenya user

profiles

20 in-depth interviews

To profile needs and understand

information from survey in depth

Fieldwork:

December - February

Method

The people who took part in the study

Mainly Nairobi (77%),

only 5% rural 25-34 (55%), 35-44 (27%)

70% employed, 16%

self-employed53% work with a commercial company, rest with GOK / NGO.

Nearly all degree or

diploma holders

Majority male

Items respondents own

53A Hi-Fi or music centre

65A refrigerator

14A washing machine

13A fixed telephone line at home or an outstanding application for one

51A personal computer with internet connection

59A personal computer for your own personal use at home

77A mobile / cell phone with internet access

82A mobile / cell phone with a working line

64A video/DVD recorder /camcorder

52A Microwave oven

31A Satellite dish/ DSTV/Cable TV subscription

88A Colour TV

1. The Internet In Our Lives

If you were ship-wrecked on a desert island and could rescue one thing, what would it be?

1

2

4

5

23

63

3

3

2

7

18

40

20

A digital camera

DVD movies with

home cinema

screen

An MP3 full of your

favorite music

A range of books

Satellite TV with

Kenyan and

internation

A Mobile phone

PC connected to the

Internet

2nd priority

1st priority

Internet connection

main priority…

Internet connection

main priority…

The web is very important to Kenyan users, outstripping its importance in other countries

6.37.77.37.16.96.76.46.15.95.85 .95.75. 45.2 5 4 4

Glo

b al

J apan

F ran ce

Ge

rman

y

Ne

ther

land

s

USA

Au

stra

l ia

Swe

den

No

rway

How much would not having the internet affect your daily routine and

personal activities? (10 = very much, 1 = not at all)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Glo

bal

Kenya

China

Japan

Korea

France Ita

ly

Germ

any UK

Net

herla

nds

Can

ada

USA

Spain

Austra

lia

Den

mar

k

Sweden

Finla

nd

TNS multi-country study

Office is facilitating internet access currently

129

56

10

0

12

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Cyb

er caf

é

Hom

e from

a com

pute

r

Office

/ work

place

My m

obile

pho

ne

Wi-F

i Hot

Spot

Laptop

with

Mod

em

Where accesses internetmost often

42% not entirely happy

with the convenience of

their connectivity

42% not entirely happy

with the convenience of

their connectivity

Mobile phone is now the main back-up source of access

6.37.77.37.16.96.76.46.15.95.85.95.75.45.2 5 4 4

Glo

balJa

panFra

nce

Ger

man

yNet

herla

nds

USA

Aus

tral

iaSw

eden

Norway

3633

18

58

12

26

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Cyb

er caf

é

Hom

e fro

m a

com

puter

Office

/ wor

kpla

ce

My

mob

ile p

hone

Wi-F

i Hot

Spot

Laptop

with

Mod

em

Other places they use toaccess internet

There is high demand for more phone browsing

50% prefer to use

their phone to

browse

50% prefer to use

their phone to

browse

Small screen is the

main barrier, & low

content

Small screen is the

main barrier, & low

content

Kenyans go on-line frequently, and demand is high for more…

5+

17%

62%

No of times those on line

connect each day

2-5 1 hour +

65%

Duration of last connection

Among these digital respondents, internet is more frequently used than conventional media

• Base: 1669 internet users

15

51

20

14

6

14

17

6 2

2 5

3 6

2 2

18

Less often / never

1 time a day

2 - 4 times a day

5+ times a day Internet

TV

Radio

77% want to spend

more time on the

internet

77% want to spend

more time on the

internet

Cost and speed main barriers to greater use

Base: 1305 internet

users who would

like to spend more

time online7

7

7

8

9

10

11

19

29

40

42

1 11 21 31 41

Not Kenyan enough

No internet on my phone

Travel far to access

It’s a time waster

Cant see it clearly on my phone

Concerned about privacy

Crowding in internet cafes

Don’t have own internet-connected comp

Not enough time

Slow speed

Expensive

Cost, speed, lack of

time and lack of

internet-connected

computer main

barriers

Cost, speed, lack of

time and lack of

internet-connected

computer main

barriers

Learning

• Kenyan users become highly devoted to the internet

• High demand for more access

• Cost and speed still hindrances

• Towards mobile phone based browsing as opposed to

cyber café

• Demand for better screens and mobile phone content

2. Needs served by the internet

Work is main sphere of motivation


51

63

82

Leisure related activities

Academic / education related

Business/ work/ job search

Sphere of life that motivates internet use

Information beats communication


2

39

57

Accessing view points

Getting entertained

Buying products and services

Communicating with others (email /

social networking/ chatting/ VOIP)

Accessing reliable knowledge /

information

Most important

Most important need served

Information beats communication


5

5

4

50

34

Accessing view points

Getting entertained

Buying products and services

Communicating with others (email /

social networking/ chatting/ VOIP)

Accessing reliable knowledge /

information

2nd most important

Second-Most important need served

Growth areas

Top Ten Activities Done on Line

Sent or received email (100%)

Used a search engine like Google

(95%)

Looked up the news (93%)

Visited a specific website to get

information (90%)

Read newspapers (90%)

Participate in messenger / chats (89%)

Read something in Wikipedia (87%)

Visited a social networking site (85%)

Searched for information on disease

(85%)

Looked for a job (81%)

Sent or received email (100%)

Used a search engine like Google

(95%)


Visited a specific website to get

information (90%)

Read newspapers (90%)

Participate in messenger / chats (89%)

Read something in Wikipedia (87%)

Visited a social networking site (85%)

Searched for information on disease

(85%)

Looked for a job (81%)

KENYA

Used a search engine (81%)


On-line banking (74%)

Looked up the weather (65%)

Researched a product or service before

buying it (63%)

Visited a brand or product website

(61%)

Paid bills (56%)

Watched a video clip (51%)

Used a price comparison site (50%)

Listened to an audio clip (44%)

Used a search engine (81%)


On-line banking (74%)

Looked up the weather (65%)

Researched a product or service before

buying it (63%)

Visited a brand or product website

(61%)

Paid bills (56%)

Watched a video clip (51%)

Used a price comparison site (50%)

Listened to an audio clip (44%)

GLOBAL

MORE TRANSACTIONAL,

MARKETING AND MEDIA

RELATED ACTIVITIES

KNOWLEDGE SEEKING AND

SOCIALIZATION

Towards a needs based typology of Kenyan internet users

Self

Inte

rnal

Exte

rnal

Others

K

K

Trends

• Internet motivated mainly by work related activities (as opposed to leisure)

• Internet use is currently dominated by knowledge seeking behaviour and communication,

entertainment/media, leisure and commerce are opportunity areas

� On-line banking relatively under-developed

• Many Kenyans search for information on health and

diseases on the internet

3. Social life and engagement

The web is widely used for social activitiesThe web is widely used for social activitiesThe web is widely used for social activitiesThe web is widely used for social activities

33

36

47

47

48

58

65

72

85

89

Play online games

Visit dating sites

Make or receive an

internet phone call

Meet someone new via

the internet

Post comments on

other people's blogs

Visit a blog

Become a member of an

on-line group

Upload/download

photos

Visit social networking

site e.g Facebook

Messenger chats

Drivers to social networkingDrivers to social networkingDrivers to social networkingDrivers to social networking

Base: 1421 internet users who have visited a social networking site

22

25

37

It is more interactive than

using my personal email

It is a cheaper way to keep

in touch with many people

Social networks enable me

to keep in contact with

people I woudn't normally

be in contact with

Social networkingSocial networkingSocial networkingSocial networking

• Base: 1421 internet users who have visited a social networking site

10

20

20

23

30

30

37

38

96

Others (write

in)

MySpace

Yahoo 360

Tagged

YouTube

Linkedin

Twitter

Hi5

Facebook

96% of social

networkers are

on Facebook

96% of social

networkers are

on Facebook

23

33

19

25

Less often / never

1 time a day

2 - 4 times a day

5+ times a day

Social network sites are very “sticky”

50% have more

than 100

contacts on their

favourite site

50% have more

than 100

contacts on their

favourite site


4Don't know

26More than 250

23101 to 250

1361 to 100

741 to 60

1021 to 40

911 to 20

7Less than 10

1421Base

Those who visit

online social

networking sites

How many contacts do you

have in your favourite

online social networking

site?


56% Joined

brand fan group

56% Joined

brand fan group

40% clicked on

an ad

40% clicked on

an ad

24% met

someone face to

face first met

online

24% met

someone face to

face first met

online

12% met &

dated someone

12% met &

dated someone

56% contributed

to a discussion

56% contributed

to a discussion

48% met in

person with an

old friend

48% met in

person with an

old friend

6% got a job6% got a job

69% up-loaded

photos / videos

69% up-loaded

photos / videos


6

12

12

24

24

37

40

45

48

49

56

56

62

64

69

Got a job which I applied for

Posted an advert for my products / services

Met and eventually dated a person

Looked up ex-partners profiles

Met face to face with someone that I originally met online

Cancelled a friendship/ removed someone

Clicked on advertisement

Answered a poll

Met up in person w ith an old friend

Joined school / university group

Joined a fan group of a brand

Contributed to topics of discussions

Write information in my profile

Posted comments / testimonials / reviews

Uploaded photos or videos

Who are members of the social network?


40

Online contacts who I have not met in

person

66Friends/family living outside the country

76Friends/family living in the country

21Business contacts outside the country

27Business contacts in the country

52Work colleagues

1421

Who are in your network on

your favourite site?66% link with

family and friends

abroad

66% link with

family and friends

abroad

40% keep in touch

with people they

have never met in

person

40% keep in touch

with people they

have never met in

person

• Keeping in contact, cost effectiveness and the level of interaction key

drivers behind social networking

• Not widely used for business or job

• Dating and games not as widely used as other forms of interaction

• Way in which people interact internationally

4. Marketing

On-line consumers do much of their research on-line these days

29%Comparisons are with on-line consumer study in

Australia, China, India, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore. 6,000 interviews. Q4 2008

Researched online for or about

product or service

Researched on-line but bought

direct

Know product in advance

Start with search engine

Ever bought online

78%

51%

63%

81%

(94%)

(98%)

(70%)

Payment

20% have

bought on-

line using a

card

20% have

bought on-

line using a

card

11% ordered

on line but

paid direct to

provider

11% ordered

on line but

paid direct to

provider

Lack of local delivery service and secure on-line payment main problem

Delivery to Kenya is very expensive 23

Lack of means of online payment 21

It is not secure to buy products/service 21

There are no local online providers of products or services 16

Products / services cannot be delivered 16

Manufacturers / service providers that I like don’t sell online 9

It is expensive to buy products/service 5

Cannot find what I am looking for 3

I cannot get variety to choose from online 3

88% would

like to buy

on-line and

pay using

mobile

money

transfer

88% would

like to buy

on-line and

pay using

mobile

money

transfer

413Dating sites

166Cosmetics: skin care/ hair care products

213Audio visual (TV radio Hi Fi etc.)

2330Software downloads

2331Purchase of airline tickets

2210Automotive purchases (cars motorcycles)

2623Booking of Hotels / Restaurants

2824Purchase of books

2818Paying for Music / Movie downloads

323Purchase of home appliances

314Purchase of tickets for cinema / theatre / concerts

3111Purchase of mobile gadgets (mobile phone PDA MP3)

3114Purchase of computers (laptop desktop)

3328On line courses

3919Online Banking

5116Payment of bills

%%

b. Would like

to use

a. Ever

used

Online services

4Dating sites

16Cosmetics: skin care/ hair care products

21Audio visual (TV radio Hi Fi etc.)

23Software downloads

23Purchase of airline tickets

22Automotive purchases (cars motorcycles)

26Booking of Hotels / Restaurants

28Purchase of books

28Paying for Music / Movie downloads

32Purchase of home appliances

31Purchase of tickets for cinema / theatre / concerts

31Purchase of mobile gadgets (mobile phone PDA MP3)

31Purchase of computers (laptop desktop)

33On line courses

39Online Banking

51Payment of bills

%

Would like to

use

Online services

Advertising


92% seen an ad

on-line

92% seen an ad

on-line

45% of these,

influenced to

buy

45% of these,

influenced to

buy

Ways of becoming aware of an internet site that you have visited?


1

3

5

10

17

18

22

29

90

From product packaging

From literature e.g. book epilogue

From Pop ups within a website

when doing

By word of mouth

Through email adverts/links

From adverts / sponsored links

on search

Through online invites from

friends

From advertisements in other

media

From search engines like Google

Most believable product / service reviews?

Reviews by peoplewho have used it 44%

30%Manufacturer’s site

Dedicated sitefor product review

Blogs

11%

4%

3%Information in

advertisements

When it comes to product / service reviews on the internet, which one source is most believable?


30

44

16

4

3

2

1

23

26

25

12

4

4

Manufacturer's / Service provider's

website

Reviews by people who have used the

service or product

Dedicated websites for product reviews

(e.g. Cheap Flight, CNET, TripAdvisor, etc)

Blogs (in general)

Information in advertisements

Proposals by sellers on specific products

and services tailored to your interests

Email links sent to you by sites and

manufacturers

2nd most important

Most important

Top 20 sitesTop 20 sitesTop 20 sitesTop 20 sites

• Base: 1466 Internet users who visited the official website of a manufacturer or provider

Orange/Telkom

Amazon

East African Breweries Limited (EABL)

LG

Toshiba

Zain

Google

Sony Ericsson

Hewlett Packard

Nation Media Group

Microsoft

Apple

Toyota

Kenya Airways

Sony

Samsung

Dell

HP Compaq

Safaricom

Nokia

How to make your site interesting: Which one of the following are you most interested I down-loading from the internet?


1

2

3

3

12

13

19

35

Wallpaper

Games

Ring-tones

Photos

Movies/videos

Music

Academic

papers

e-Books

What are they looking for when What are they looking for when What are they looking for when What are they looking for when researching products? researching products? researching products? researching products?

33

42

48

53

57

63

72

88

Websites to buy or subscribe to the products/

services online

Places/addresses to buy the products/services

offline

Which products and brands exist in each product /

service category

Professional reviews (reviews done by

professional reviewers)

Consumer / user reviews

A comparison between different products

Comparison of prices so as to get the best price

Detail of product / service specification

Barriers to internet banking

Scared of fraud (27%)

My bank does not offer it (20%)

Never considered it (15%)

Not relevant to me (14%)

Like to deal with a real person (7%)

The bank has many restrictions (7%)

Don’t know how to set it up (5%)

Cant be bothered with it (3%)

Scared of fraud (27%)

My bank does not offer it (20%)

Never considered it (15%)

Not relevant to me (14%)

Like to deal with a real person (7%)

The bank has many restrictions (7%)

Don’t know how to set it up (5%)

Cant be bothered with it (3%)

39% would like to do internet banking

Learning

• Marketeers need to embrace the internet --- widely used currently for

researching products

• Improve payment options

• Develop local delivery options

• Monitor with what others are saying about your products

5. Knowledge

Information seeking behaviour on the internet

21

28

65

69

70

78

79

85

87

90

90

93

95

Write your own blog

Watch TV in general online

Visit / use on-line education

modules

Read magazines online

Search for Kenyan local

information

Research on the internet for or

about product or service

Search for government related

information

Search for information on health

or disease

Read something in Wikipedia

Read newspapers online

Visit a specific website to get

information

Visit news websites

,Use search engines like Google

Yahoo

Which have ever accessed /would Which have ever accessed /would Which have ever accessed /would Which have ever accessed /would like to access information on?like to access information on?like to access information on?like to access information on?

Base: 1669 internet users

2426Weather

2720Agricultural information

3640Reproductive health - (pregnancy and childbirth)

3840HIV / AIDS

3814Price of healthcare products

3833

Checking up on the diagnosis that you have been given by a health

care professional

4034Information on what drugs to take for a particular disease

4145Tourism

4552General background or information on a disease

4754

Diagnosis of a disease from symptoms that you or others you know

are suffering

5163Information on training institutions

5455Online courses

6176Educational material

(%)(%)

Would

like to

access

Ever

accessed

Information areas

60% don’t

always trust the

information on

the internet

60% don’t

always trust the

information on

the internet

39% often don’t

find the

information they

are looking for

39% often don’t

find the

information they

are looking for

Education &

health key areas

Education &

health key areas

Are there enough Kenyan sites?

Kenyan sites

Foreign sites

Too few Kenyan sites

29%

71%

Online time

spent on…

89%

Top 10 suggested Kenyan sites

7Culture

8News

8Training Research

10Job Adverts

10Social networking

16Entertainment

28Business related / e

commerce

38Educational Information /

e learning

Learning

• Opportunity for Kenyan content

• Especially e-learning and education

• Business and commerce

• Entertainment

6. GOK

Top 10 GOK sites

88% have

visited a GOK or

parastatal site

88% have

visited a GOK or

parastatal site

2e-Government

4www.information.go.ke

4The Kenya ICT Board Site

4Kenya wildlife service website

5Department of immigration Kenya

6Central bank of Kenya

6Higher Education Loans Board

7Kenya National Examination Council

11Public service commission

26Kenya Revenue Authority

27% found site

very useful

27% found site

very useful

Information needs from GOK

29How and where to access agricultural information

34Roads construction projects (program for construction)

36Parliamentary proceedings

42Disease outbreaks

43HELB loan repayment status

43Customs and excise services

45Health information

46Population information (following the recent population census)

47Government performance contracts (what each Government Body is supposed to do)

49Constitution review process and copies of drafts

50Report corruption cases

52Public service and Para-statal jobs

54Exam results and candidate selection

54Development projects being funded (e.g. CDF) / how money is spent / budgetary information

56Legal information/legal regulations/ provisions

65Submission of income tax returns

69Status of ID / Passport application

Finally, some suggestions to GOK on how to enhance internet access...

21Regulate the costs

27Digitize more of the government services

2Other

3Policy making on Internet usage

15Provide education on how to use the internet and its benefits

32Increase internet connection in rural areas

digital kenya key findings march 2010

Technology