Media habits change in Indonesia

JAKARTA: Consumer habits are rapidly changing in Indonesia, where the internet has overtaken newspapers and radio among the most popular media channels.

Yahoo, the online giant, partnered with TNS, the research firm, to survey 4,482 people from 13 urban markets, such as Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang, Bekasi and Surabaya.

At present, television boasts a 97% penetration rate among the individuals interviewed, while the internet scored 33% on the same metric.

When compared with similar analysis published last year, in terms of reach the web had actually surpassed newspapers, currently on 25%, and radio, on 24%.

More specifically, 60% of the online audience typically logged on from an internet cafe, and 58% did so via a mobile phone, a comparatively affordable option for consumers unable to buy a PC.

The top digital activities include social networking, which has attracted 89% of web users, ahead of visiting portals, on 72%, and reading news, posting 61%.

Although the 15-24 year old segment contributes the largest share of the connected community, their middle-aged counterparts utilised the web with a higher degree of frequency.

Suresh Subramanian, deputy managing director of TNS Indonesia, suggested the roll out of cheaper smartphones, especially by Chinese brands, would continue to reshape the landscape.

Equally, more competitively-priced voice and data packages are encouraging greater numbers of people to consider going online from wireless devices.

As digital literacy levels rise, Subramanian added, advertisers will need to adopt a nuanced model regarding the approaches and platforms they employ to engage consumers.

"Subtlety is key, as is providing entertaining content," he said.

Ecommerce is also likely to gain in popularity, according to Subramanian, but the absence of established and trusted payment services has served to limit progress thus far.

Warc subscribers can read a range of new insights into Indonesia's consumers and trading climate in the recently-published paper, "Marketing in Indonesia – Market Overview and Review of Best Practice".

Data sourced from Jakarta Globe/Jakarta Post; additional content by Warc staff, 29 July 2011

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