The COVID outbreak has optimized the adoption of digital innovation in India. More individuals are currently gaming, shopping online, and streaming their life moments and gaming sessions. The metaverse, as well, has produced huge interest and investments. Dolly Jha, MD of Nielsen India, shares her perspectives on how companies can derive the most value from these technologies and the growing community of influencers.

The gaming industry in India has seen unprecedented growth, especially after the pandemic. Do you expect this to grow further and why?
One out of four customers are on the web or are doing gaming of some sort. What is huge is that this number isn’t exceptionally different in rural regions, where one in every five is gaming. On the off chance that you simply take a look at the sheer size of our populace that is keen on gaming, you’re discussing an enormous number. That is one. Subsequently, our adoption of innovation has been extremely high. The gaming industry will only continue to grow from here.

How does India compare with countries such as the US or China in terms of gaming consumption?
The average monthly time spent on gaming by consumers in the US on smartphones is close to 8%. In India, it is about 4%. It shows that we are there and I am sure we will move up. If you look at Facebook and social media in the US, the average monthly time spent is 30%. In India, it is 24%.

How much influence do gaming creators and influencers in India have? Do you expect their importance to grow?
Around 70% of the gamers are somewhere in the range of 12 to 29 years old. We are talking about a very young population, and there is no surprise here. This is likewise an extremely alluring objective for a tonne of brands and advertisers. The role of influencers will turn out to be an ever-increasingly significant one before long.

How is interest in the metaverse shaping up in India? How can brands and consumers cut through the hype?
The metaverse holds critical potential for most industries. Notwithstanding, brands need to distinguish and offer significant use cases to draw in their consumers in a metaverse format. In industries like real estate and autos (for example), there is a need to guarantee that the right elements and encounters are accessible to the consumers.

Indian influencers are growing in stature. How important is the role of Indian influencers in the global landscape?
As a brand, what matters is that I have a group of influencers who are enabling me to engage better with my audience. Many brands in India are doing that with a group of influencers to guarantee that they can draw in their crowds in a significant way. The number of followers an influencer has is significant, yet we shouldn’t stall out with it.

Fake social media accounts pose a serious problem and have resulted in financial losses too. How big is this challenge and how can it be addressed?
Each distributor needs to guarantee that it is dependable (as far as the number of genuine accounts). How it shows its credibility depends on how the distributor needs to manage it. It is a valid question to pose as to how strong or believable a platform is.

Credit: Mint