Prime Highlights
- Women in the 25–34 age group in megacities spend 42 per cent more time on e-commerce platforms than their male counterparts.
- AI applications more than doubled their user engagement in urban India between April and March of the following year.
Key Facts
- VTION is a consumer behaviour analytics platform; IAMAI is India’s industry body representing the internet and digital services sector.
- The report draws from data collected across over one lakh consented smartphones, covering a user base of more than 407 million urban Indians.
Background
Women are the biggest drivers of digital activity in urban India, spending more time than men across entertainment, messaging, and e-commerce platforms, according to a joint report by consumer behaviour analytics platform VTION and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).
The report, which analysed data from over one lakh consented smartphones representing more than 407 million urban Indians, found that women outpaced men across most digital categories. The sharpest gap appeared in commerce platforms, where women between 25 and 34 years in megacities averaged 35.2 minutes per day compared to 24.8 minutes for men — a 42 per cent higher engagement level.
In entertainment, women averaged 82.4 minutes per day, with the 25–34 age group peaking at 86.3 minutes. Urban consumers above 35 also remained active in this space, clocking 77 to 78 minutes daily.
Young users between 18 and 24 dominated social media, averaging 120 minutes per day against the overall category average of 97.9 minutes.
AI applications recorded over 100 per cent growth between April and March of the following year, with urban users spending an average of 11.3 minutes daily on such tools. Usage remained concentrated among 18 to 34-year-olds and higher-income households. Conversational AI is currently influencing user interaction with brands before even considering using search engines or online shopping portals.
Payment apps usage was uniform across all income groups, so it looks like financial digitalisation is pretty widespread in urban India.
