'Smartphone users prefer websites to apps for m-shopping'

Report says close to 25% of smartphone users in country prefer to shop on websites than use shopping apps

More Indians prefer to log onto websites for shopping on their smartphones rather than using apps, a Nielsen Informate report said today.

Close to 25% of smartphone users in country prefer to shop on websites than use shopping apps, it said.

"When it comes to accessing content on the smartphone, there has been an increasing preference for apps over websites. However, in the shopping genre, the smartphone audience still prefers websites," it said.

The shopping apps are still in a very nascent stage with just 3% of smartphone users accessing them, according to the report.

"On the other hand, 1 in 4 (25%) smartphone users access shopping websites at least once a month, clearly indicating a preference for the website platform," it said.

The report said Flipkart emerged as the most popular shopping website on smartphones with a reach of 5%, closely followed by eBay at 4%.

As far as shopping apps are concerned, eBay has the highest penetration with over one% of smartphone users accessing the app at least once a month, while Flipkart comes in second with a reach of just under 1%.