Nokia emerges as preferred mobile brand in inaugural Nielsen India rankings

E-commerce site Flipkart also shares the top honours, ahead of Amazon and mobile messenger application WhatsApp.

The select categories are international travel, in which Singapore tops, mobile Apps, e-tailing, books, mobile handsets and operators, Nielsen said in a statement.

In the telecom sector, Nokia is the most preferred mobile handset brand, followed by Samsung and Blackberry, while among the operators, the second and third place have been cornered by Aritel and Idea.

According to the findings of the first round of Nielsen India consumer rankings, the rankings are based on popularity and consumer experience of these brands, which were ranked in the last quarter of 2012.

"While we have always provided uncommon consumer insights for our clients, with this initiative we are taking insights from cities across the country, and giving back to consumers," Nielsen India President Piyush Mathur said while releasing the rankings.

He further said that the rankings reflect the pulse of urban consumers, and provide a different lens to view the lifestyle choices that urban consumers are making every day.

Nielsen India vice-president Ranjeet Laungani said the rankings acknowledge that consumers not only want to be heard but also be better informed. "These rankings will provide the average urban consumer with a neutral, fact-based consumer view on everyday categories that are relevant to them."

Among the other winners in the smartphone apps category are Facebook, news aggregator app Newshunt, Youtube and Tubemate, an application that allows users to download Youtube videos.

In the e-tailing segment Flipkart, E-bay, Homeshop18 and deal-based site Snapdeal are the top four e-tailing sites respectively for over 1,000 active internet users and online shoppers.

Among mobile operators network quality is the most important driver of customer satisfaction, followed by customer service, service positioning and data services.

While Tata Docomo at the fifth place leads on satisfaction for SMS rates, data plans and value added services, Uninor at eighth place is the most value for money option for consumers.

Among the books, local authors dominate the fiction rankings with Amish Tripathi's 'The Immortals of Meluha' and the sequel 'The Secret of the Nagas' coming in the top 10, as per data from point of sale, of over 400 retailers.