Most Indians prefer mobile apps for telecom services: survey

Mobile apps are becoming the most preferred way for getting telecom services for customers while local mobile retailers and company stores are falling out of favour, a new survey revealed.

Conducted by mobile services aggregator 10digi in the Delhi-NCR region, the survey found that 23 percent of customers regarded websites as second preference for them to get telecom services.

"This, in a way, seems to suggest that local mobile retailers and company stores are falling out of favour due to the fact that the customer has to personally visit these places to complete the transaction," the findings showed.

Nearly 57 percent customers found it easier to get a recharge done for prepaid services using online methods dominated by mobile apps, followed by websites.

"With the rapid strides in online connectivity and proliferation of mobile connectivity the mobile apps which provide multi-brand telecom services to the customers are being preferred by the customers," said Ozair Yasin, Managing Director, 10digi, in a statement.

Yasin added that home delivery of telecom services is the way to go as most customers find it hassle-free to get the same services without having to move out.

Since mobile apps also offer discounts in telecom services, customers find it convenient for getting multi-brand telecom services through these apps.

The survey suggested that even the offline modes of service delivery like local mobile retailers and company stores should take help of online methods for better service delivery.

Dependence on apps has been on the rise in the country, with most smartphone users in Tier I,II and III cities paying bills, doing online transactions and shopping on e-commerce sites regularly on their mobiles. The mobile-first economy being the second largest smartphone market in the world saw Indians download 6.2 billion apps through Google Play in 2016, up from 3.6 billion in 2015, according to a report by App Annie.