Brazil crosses the threshold, becomes a mobile nation

Opera Software survey uncovers mobile behavior in Brazil

Opera Software today announced the results of its annual Opera Mini survey providing insights into key mobile browsing and usage trends in Brazil. The results are based on an opt-in survey, taken by more than 5,000 users of the Opera Mini mobile browser all over Brazil.

Opera Mini is one of the most popular mobile browsers in Brazil with monthly active users of Opera Mini growing an impressive 60% from April 2012 to April 2013. Worldwide, Opera Mini has 223 million users.

Here are some key findings from the survey:

  • For the first time, Brazilian users accessing the internet from their mobile devices have surpassed those accessing it through desktops.
    Almost 92% of the respondents said they accessed the internet through their mobile devices, and 14% said they accessed it from home computers. Last year, 64% of the respondents said they accessed the internet from their home computers, while 23% were using mobile devices.
  • Speed is the biggest need for Brazilians while surfing the mobile web.
    This result has remained consistent since last year, with 70% of the respondents saying speed is the main reason they use Opera Mini to browse the internet. Ease of use came in second with 44% and data savings was third with 22% of the vote.
  • Java is still the most popular platform in Brazil by a huge margin, followed by Android.
    68% of Opera Mini users use a Java device, while Android follows second with 14%.
  • A majority of Brazilians use the mobile internet daily and are quickly moving toward smartphones.
    84% of the respondents say that they access the mobile internet every day of the week. When asked whether they would change devices in the next six months, 32% said they would opt for a smartphone.
  • Brazilians still not cozy with m-commerce.
    Brazilians are not used to buying products and services other than apps and games on their mobile devices. 19% of the respondents said they bought apps and games on their mobile devices in the past six months while a majority (72%) said they hadn’t made any purchases. When asked what kinds of mobile ads and content they would be interested in, more than half (54%) said they are interested in apps and ringtones, 28% were interested in electronics and 28% opted for entertainment. 

“In the last year, we see Brazil has made leaps and bounds to move over to the mobile platform and using it as a primary way to access the internet. Today, 84% of Opera Mini users access the mobile internet daily from their phones,” says Sabrina Zaremba, Regional Manager for Latin America, Opera Software. “In the next few years, we can expect Brazil to move rapidly toward adopting smartphones and using them to consume more and more data – be it apps and games, video, music and more.”

The profile of people who opted into the Opera Mini survey was mostly male (74%) and young (64% up to 24 years old). The female population is adopting mobile browsing very rapidly; however, with the number of female respondents increasing 10% from last year. Most of the respondents were students (44%) followed by full-time employees (32%) and part-time employees (13%).

Methodology on the Opera Mini Survey, by Opera Software

More than 5,000 Opera Mini users in Brazil participated in this survey conducted by Opera Software from May 14 to May 28, 2013. The study comprises the opinion of Opera Mini users – regardless of gender and age – who clicked on the survey button on the Opera Mini home page during this period.