Mobile Growth Shaping India's Internet Usage: Google Survey

With over 200 million mobile Internet users in India, mobile phones captured 60 percent share of all shopping-related queries and over 50 percent share of all travel-related queries, a report released on Thursday said.

Even for YouTube, over 60 percent of views were now coming from mobile phones. In the classifieds space, online job listings saw revival with over 41 percent job-related searches coming from mobile phones, the Google India report said.

Terming the mobile phone as the growth engine for the Internet industry, the report outlines how 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 users adopting hyperlocal services, buying beauty products and furniture online, the report highlights the evolving behaviour of Indian users on the Internet, with growing confidence to shop online.

In 2015, 50 percent of women who shopped online purchased beauty products on the Internet, the report said and added that home furnishing saw a 57 percent year-on-year growth in search queries on Google, while hyperlocal services saw fast adoption in metros - registering a 32 percent year-on-year growth in search queries.

"From planning holidays, to decorating homes, to buying groceries, watching their favourite 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," Google India VP and MD Rajan Anandan said.

"It is exciting to see, for example, how Search Interest for cars is seeing a strong correlation to actual sales," he said, adding: "Looking at these trends, it is clear that the Indian users are embracing the Internet like never before."

With tier-2 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 cars coming from tier-2 cities. Real estate searches from tier-2 cities saw massive 100 percent year-on-year growth. In the pre-owned category, searches for used cars formed the largest share with seven in 10 searches coming in for used cars, the report said.