South Africa

Key mobile trends

In 2012, more than 10 million youth will switch accounts in South Africa causing operators to lose $1.5 billion. With penetration rates of over 100%, the key to increasing the bottom line is in reducing churn. Mobile apps and services such as mobile money driven by mobile internet will be the key to growth on the country’s youth mobile market. Among handset brands, Apple’s iPhone is an aspirational brand for youth. However, while Android phones may be making inroads into youth wishlists, there are pockets of supporters for BlackBerry and even Nokia among youth in South Africa.

flickr: sahrizvi

Implications

Handset and service purchase decisions are driven by social factors such as word-of-mouth recommendations from friends. Mobile brands need to identify what factors influence youth in South Africa. Marketing and innovation need to be driven by grassroots effort that begin with insights from the youth market and end up with engagement programs or co-creation ventures. For actionable insights into youth mobile culture in South Africa, contact mobileYouth 2012 Report.