Considering how every cent counts for millions across the country already, it is not surprising then that many have found ways to maximise their spending power by being smart with how they choose their brands. 

Opera South Africa recently served a survey on millions of South Africans through its user base to find out purchasing habits and behaviours. This was to provide a view to brands with insights into how to reach them more often. This is the second survey of its kind, having been undertaken previously in 2020.

The survey looked at categories ranging from finance to FMCG, from telecoms to broadcasting.

Banking
Of particular interest, the survey revealed that 75% of the sample have a bank account, the bank's percentages are as follows:
  • Capitec has the highest members with 54%
  • FNB has the second highest with 14%, and
  • Standard Bank comes in third with 10%.
Bank accounts are also the most common means with which to receive wages (53%), followed by cash (24%) and e-wallet (23%).

A small margin of individuals (16%) have their wages deposited into someone else's bank account.

Fast-moving consumer goods
According to the survey, when it comes to FMCG, Shoprite was the clear favourite with 38% of the sample preferring to shop at this retailer. This was compared to:
  • Pick n Pay standing with 23%
  • Spar with 16%, and
  • Checkers at 9%.
The survey also revealed that shoppers visit their shop of choice once a month (27%) or once a week (24%), with only 9% shopping daily. 

Food prices will likely rise due to global shortages, as well as the price of fuel, which also affects the transportation of goods. The report shows that we can expect to see more consumers switch to retailers that offer the best value for money.

This is supported by the survey statistics revealing that almost 50% of users shop at outlets because of the most affordable prices.

Telecommunication
Telecoms was another interesting category, especially when it comes to data usage. The majority of respondents (59%) prefer converting airtime to data, a 10% increase from 2020.

The use of a USSD string to purchase data dropped from 13% down to 12% while purchasing vouchers jumped from 15% in 2020 to 18% in 2022. Furthermore, the provider's app users have doubled in popularity from 5% in 2020 to 10% in 2022.

Somewhat surprisingly, given how cost-conscious consumers are, only 41.5% were aware of data bundle specials; this is while the majority of the sample are MTN and Vodacom subscribers. 

The survey showed that 34% perceived Telkom to offer the best data among the telecom providers, while in fact, it is Cell C that offers the lowest rate. This demonstrates that the price is at a decrease when compared to the Opera 2019 State of Mobile Report for Africa.

Comparing data from 2019 and 2020, it is interesting to see the change in behavioural purchasing habits. There's a real opportunity for Telcos to hone in on the data saving desires of consumers.

Converting airtime to data usage has seen an incline. This is attributed to working from home on the back of the pandemic, coupled with the preference for using WhatsApp as a means of calling. Overall, this means that data, and how it's packaged for our everyday lives, really matters to us as consumers.

Once data has been purchased, people use it to:
  • browse the web (22%)
  • use WhatsApp (65%)
  • email (48%)
  • access news apps (43%), and
  • play games (14%).
Interestingly, whatever Opera users choose to do with their data, they are spending just 22 minutes on their browser on average each day doing it. This versus the three hours and 30 minutes a day that the majority of South Africans spend connecting to their mobiles.

This points directly to maximising data usage. In South Africa, compared to the average income earned per day of R200, data is very expensive at around R78 per gigabyte. This compares to international territories where the income / data costs are more aligned. 

The retention rate of users going back into mobile web compared to the app, however, seems to grow over time. This highlights the importance for marketers to rethink the 'mobile web' when reaching their consumers instead of just focusing on the app environment. 

It's evident that mobile web still remains hugely popular amongst the mass market of data-saving conscious individuals.

Broadcasting
When it comes to broadcasting in South Africa, among DSTV, Netflix, Showmax, Amazon Prime and Disney, the overwhelming majority (81.5%) prefer DSTV as their broadcaster of choice. 

Watching TV is still a past-time of choice for the Opera user base, and while payment can be made via app or online, 35% prefer to pay for the service at an in-store kiosk.

This suggests an affinity with the tangibility of a physical environment and, most likely because over half of those survey recipients who do not have a bank account, get paid their salaries in cash.

When it comes to choosing what to watch, the majority use social media as a means to receive news about popular shows or movies (41.5%). This is followed closely by:
  • paid advertising (40.3%)
  • radio (4%), and
  • billboards (2.3%).
It's clear from these insights that consumers are using their mobile phones to browse, research and access content for a relatively short amount of time each day. This is due to keeping the cost of data usage down.

For brands to reach this audience, being active online where their users are is key. Insights suggest that the peak times of day to serve ads are between 19:00 and 20:00.

For more information, visit www.opera.com. You can also follow Opera on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.