Earning credibility in India’s buoyant stock market investing landscape
Indians’ interest in stock market investing has increased exponentially since the pandemic struck. From just about 40.9 million in March 2020, the number of demat accounts—a proxy for the number of potential stock investors—crossed the 100-million* mark for the first time in August 2022.
*Data from National Securities Depository Limited (NDSL) and Central Depository Services (CDSL)
This expansion in the stock investor base has not been restricted to metros or big cities alone. SEBI, the market regulator, observed in its Annual Report for FY 2021-22, that there has been a “diffusion of equity investment culture to Tier-3 and Tier-4 cities, boosting financial inclusion.”
Glass half-empty or half-full?
Despite the sharp growth and geographic spread in the stock investor base in recent times, there is still immense potential for further growth. As things stand, less than 7% of India’s population are potential stock investors. Investment firm Edelweiss suggests in a blog that one major factor keeping Indians away from investing in stock markets is the lack of knowledge about it. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity.
Future investors seeking information online
Eager to know more about stock investing, millions of Indians are turning to the internet and, more specifically, Quora, as a source of knowledge. In an effort to gauge the potential risks and returns of this investment vehicle, some are asking questions like, “Can you share your portfolio of stocks, if you are a long term investor?” or “What is your most successful option-trading strategy?”
Others, who seem to have moved higher along the learning curve, are seeking more actionable advice with queries like, “Which is the best stock broker among Groww, Zerodha, and Upstox, and why?”; “What are some good stocks to invest in right now?”; “What are the top 10 evergreen growth stocks to invest in the Indian stock market with a time horizon of 10-15 years?” and the list goes on.
This presents an opportunity for investment firms to organically engage with real customers by addressing such questions and spreading awareness about their services. Leveraging the Quora platform gives stock universe stakeholders a chance to authentically build trust among equity enthusiasts and guide them at various stages of their domain knowledge journeys.
Quora audience insights for stocks
With 5M followers and 3M questions* posed in its Stock Market-related topics, Quora offers enterprises and marketers associated with the stock market the opportunity to connect with a community of users who are showing serious intent.
*Based on All Time Internal Quora Data
According to a Global Web Index survey, not only are Quora users more likely to invest in stocks and shares compared to the average internet user in India but over a third are already committed investors.
%
of Quora users invest in stocks and shares
%
more likely to invest in stocks and shares
Based on the GWI Core Q1 2022 and Q2 2022 surveys of participating Quora users in India. Comparisons are to the average internet user in India as surveyed by GWI.
In an industry that has been considered a closed club for generations, there are finally signs of abundant curiosity and tangible interest. Offering relevant knowledge and information to the right tribe can position you as a thought-leader and build or reinforce customer loyalty.
