This archive report was first published on 16 September 2019.
Published on September 16, 2019, a Deloitte report highlights the shift in communication preferences among Kenyan mobile users.
According to the report, voice calls grew by 10% from 51% to 61% in the last three years, while instant messaging increased from 43% to 74% in the same period.
Deloitte East Africa Technology, Media and Telecommunications Leader Charles Luo noted, “Usage of instant messaging applications has almost doubled over the past three years. Opportunities arise for business to use digital tools such as chatbots, to improve on customer experience and acquisition, reduce churn, increase revenue per user and minimize cost to serve primarily in the customer service centres.”
The Communications Authority of Kenya reported that Safaricom, the country’s biggest mobile phone company, saw a significant drop in voice revenue contribution from 47.1% of their total service revenue in 2015 to 36.6% in 2018.
On the other hand, mobile data revenue rose from 12% to 16.1% of its service revenue for the two years.
Research on Mobile Consumer Survey in Kenya by Deloitte indicates that voice communication is losing ground, urging businesses to step up their online and AI-driven communication channels to match the preferences of the mobile generations.
Instant messaging apps, such as WhatsApp and Facebook, remain the most dominant platforms, with 87% and 69% usage amongst people between 25 and 34 years and 80% for those between 35 and 45.
However, newcomer Instagram is growing fastest for consumers between the ages of 25 to 35, despite facing headwinds due to the cost of data, which is 18 percent more than in Europe.
