Mobile growth shaping India’s internet usage – Google India report

The mass adoption of mobile phones is driving adoption of newer services, becoming the primary screen for consumption of media and defining the new user experiences. With over 200 million mobile internet users in the country, mobile captured 60 per cent share of all shopping related queries and over 50 per cent share of all travel related queries, Google India said in a report.

Even for YouTube, over 60 per cent of views were now coming from mobile. In the classifieds space, online job listings saw revival with over 41 per cent job related searches coming from mobile phones, the report that outlined key consumer trends based on the enormity of the impact of smartphones across industries, said.

''From planning holidays to decorating homes, buying groceries, watching videos online, mobile internet is beginning to influence, and in many cases define, an Indian user's first experience online. And the Industry is taking notice,'' said Rajan Anandan, vice president and managing director at Google India.

''It is exciting to see, for example, how search interest for cars is seeing a strong correlation to actual sales. 2015 saw whole new categories such as Hyperlocal, Standardised Accommodation getting established as mainstream, while others like Digital Payments and Cab Services found a strong foothold-all powered by the internet and mobile. Looking at these trends, it is clear that the Indian users are embracing the Internet like never before,'' he added.

Calling out mobile as the growth engine for the Internet Industry, the report said there were more than 200 million mobile internet users in the country.

Mobile captured 60 per cent share of all shopping related queries and over 50 per cent share of all travel-related queries, while about 60 per cent of YouTube views were now from mobile. In the classifieds space, online job listings saw revival with over 41 per cent job related searches coming from mobile phones.

With users adopting hyperlocal services, buying beauty products and furniture online, the report highlights the evolving behavior of the Indian users on the Internet, with growing confidence to shop online. In 2015, 50 per cent of women who shop online, purchased beauty products on the Internet.

Home furnishing saw 57 per cent year-on-year growth in search queries on Google and hyperlocal services seeing fast adoption in metros registering 32 per cent (YOY) growth in search queries.

Tier II cities to drive next phase of growth
With tier-II cities driving the next wave of growth driven from smartphones, 2015 saw adoption of internet by older age groups seeking diverse variety of information and embracing new age platforms. Used car searches from non-metros grew rapidly, with three in four searches for used car searches coming from tier-II cities.

Real estate searches from tier 2 cities saw massive growth seeing 100 per cent YOY growth. In the pre-owned category, searches for used cars formed the largest share with 7 in 10 searches coming in for used cars.

With growing Internet penetration, the industry also evolved its offerings to serve the needs of online users. Easy to adopt products introduced by banking and insurance companies saw immediate adoption with 1 in 4 users buying auto insurance online. Over 50 per cent of health insurance queries came from mobile phones.

Omni channel and multiplatform experience in e-commerce is fast becoming a reality, with online players launching their offline stores and offline retailers extending their presence on the Internet. Telcos also introduced new convenient services aimed to increase customer satisfaction and engagement, with telecom service provider's apps seeing over 170 per cent YOY growth in search queries.