Mobile phone growth shaping India's internet usage greatly

A Google India report has identified mobile phones as the growth engine of the internet industry, outlining how mass adoption of the devices was driving acceptance of newer services. It also outlines the key consumer trends based on the enormity of the impact of smartphones across industries.

With over 200 million mobile internet users in the country, such phones captured 60 per cent share of all shopping related queries and over 50 per cent share of all travel related queries. Even for YouTube, over 60 per cent of the views were now coming from mobile, while in the classifieds space, online job listings saw a revival with over 41 per cent job related searches from mobile phones.

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 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. Hyperlocal services saw fast adoption in metros, showing 32 per cent year-on-year growth in search queries.