Internet drives mobile in India, says Google

Mobile captures 60% of all shopping-related queries; 50% of all travel-related queries

With over 200 million mobile Internet users in the country, smartphones capture 60 per cent of all shopping queries and over 50 per cent of all travel queries, finds a study by search giant Google.

Google said over 60 per cent YouTube views were now from mobile phones. In classifieds, over 41 per cent job searches were from mobile phones.

Calling mobile phones the growth engine for the Internet in India, the report said cellphones were driving adoption of newer services, becoming the primary screen for consumption of media, and defining new user experiences.

“From planning holidays, to decorating homes, to buying groceries, the mobile Internet is beginning to influence an Indian user’s first experience online,” said Rajan Anandan, managing director, Google India.

“The year 2015 saw whole new categories such as hyperlocal, standardised accommodation becoming mainstream, while others like digital payments and cab services found a strong foothold,”  he added.

Used car searches from non-metros grew rapidly, with three in four searches for used cars coming from tier two cities. Real estate searches from tier two cities saw 100 per cent growth year on year.

Industry has also changed its offerings to serve the needs of online users. Easy-to-adopt products by banking and insurance companies gained traction with one in four users buying automobile insurance online. Over 50 per cent of health insurance queries came from mobile phones.

Omnichannel 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.

Telecom companies also introduced convenient services  with service providers’ apps seeing over 170 per cent growth in search queries.