Kenyans are sprinting towards 100% internet usage, the latest Digitalk Survey from Consumer Insight just revealed.

As reported, 78% now have internet access of whom 65% are active daily. This has been driven by pervasive (88%) smartphone usage amongst mobile phone owners – and availability of affordable data plans.

The Leading Influences

But the digital trends study also disclosed a quiet reality: the leading digital influences are income, age, gender and level of education. How each individual Kenyan lives their digital experience is shaped by these four influences.

Consider income and education for a start.

Continuous internet access was found to increase with earnings, with higher income earners at 45% contrasted to lower income groups at 24%. Also, high income earners are more likely to be heavy users of fixed WIFI which they access on private networks. Additionally, they are more likely to use large-screen gadgets in contrast to the mid and low-income earners, along with a wider variety of music devices.

Unsurprisingly, internet usage was noted to change depending on educational level; while all internet users access a wide variety of content, the proportion is higher for those with college education and above.

And what about gender?

Distinctions on gender were highly visible in the shopping lists of Kenyans. As found by the Digitalk survey, females lead in clothes, shoes, cosmetics and grooming items shopping. In contrast, their male counterparts are more likely to shop for mobile phones, computers and TVs.

For movies a similar situation exists. Here females prefer to watch dramas (21% against 10% for males) while their male counterparts prefer action movies (32% against 12% for females). Amusingly, comedy is the genre that almost unites the genders – being a favourite of females at 16% with males not too far behind.

With respect to age, differences among groups are also noted.

While those aged under 30 are more likely to consume music and video content (when not chatting), the over-45s are more likely to be checking their mobile money balance – or snoozing their alarms.

This difference was reflected in free time activities engaged in. As the Digitalk survey found, those aged over 45 are more likely to log off and visit family or friends, while those below 35 “keep it virtual” with music and movies. Age differences also appeared where watching – or skipping – online ads was concerned.

Legacy Favourites Miss Out

But there remains one behaviour that unites all “digital Kenyans”: low interest in legacy media. Only one in three read e-versions of newspapers, and 56% of these access without subscription. Is Kenyan media missing the digital wave?

Kenyans’ Next Digital Favorites?

Overall, this set of influences will remain the shapers of Kenyans online experiences, actions and behaviours: brands that stay responsive to this reality could become Kenyans’ next digital favourites.

For more information, contact Dennis at +254 722 509 221 or email info@ciafrica.com.

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Digitalk is a product of Consumer Insight, a leading research agency in Africa.