Who uses robo-advising and how?

Abstract

Using propriety data from a large Indian robo-advisory firm, we show that users of robo-advisory services are relatively young, predominantly male, married, small investors, and professionals. We show that the majority of small retail investors utilize a systematic investment plan (SIP). Additionally, we document that there are differences in demographic characteristics, occupation, and geographic location of investors in utilizing SIP versus one-time lump sum investments. Furthermore, we find that daily user account creation increases during periods of high market volatility.