India's e-commerce websites outpace apps as shopping habits evolve: Report

India recorded the world's highest e-commerce website traffic over the past year, even as app downloads plateaued, signalling a shift in how consumers discover products and shop online

India's e-commerce story has long been synonymous with mobile apps. From Flipkart's "app-only" experiment to Amazon's push for lightweight Android apps, the assumption across the industry was simple: the smartphone app would remain the primary gateway to online shopping. Market intelligence firm Sensor Tower's State of E-commerce 2026 report suggests that assumption is beginning to change.

 

According to the report, India recorded nearly 58 billion e-commerce website visits over the past 12 months, the highest globally, while website traffic grew 28 per cent year-on-year, ahead of every other major market. At the same time, mobile app downloads have largely plateaued, indicating that future growth may increasingly come from the web rather than new app users.

 

Why are websites becoming more important for e-commerce

The report suggests consumers are increasingly beginning their shopping journey on the web instead of directly opening shopping apps.

 

The data reflects this shift. Globally, fashion e-commerce websites recorded 53.7 per cent year-on-year growth in visits, while unique visitors increased 64.3 per cent year-on-year in Q1 2026. By comparison, mobile app downloads for fashion platforms grew just 6.1 per cent, while total time spent on apps declined 5.2 per cent. According to Sensor Tower, this suggests consumers are increasingly using websites for product discovery and research, even though apps remain important for repeat purchases.

 

Unlike apps, websites are easier to discover through Google Search, creator links, affiliate platforms and social media, allowing brands to reach users before asking them to install an application.

Why is India leading the global shift?

India is not only seeing higher traffic. It is leading the world.

 

According to the Sensor Tower report, India generated nearly 58 billion e-commerce website visits over the past 12 months, ahead of mature markets such as the US, Japan, Germany and the UK. E-commerce website visits in India also grew 28 per cent year-on-year during the same period, the fastest among major markets. Meanwhile, e-commerce app downloads in India between Q2 CY2025 and Q1 CY2026 grew only 6 per cent.

 

During Q1 CY2026 alone, India averaged nearly 1.4 billion monthly visits to fashion e-commerce websites, the highest globally.

The report also noted that traffic to India's fashion e-commerce websites increased 98.3 per cent year-on-year, nearly doubling from a year earlier. Pakistan recorded faster growth at 109.3 per cent, but from a much smaller base, while Brazil and Türkiye grew 51 per cent and 57.8 per cent, respectively.

 

Similarly, in Q1 CY2026, India led the global beauty e-commerce category in both scale and growth. Average monthly website visits approached 350 million, while traffic surged 116 per cent year-on-year, making India the primary growth engine for the category.

What does this mean for e-commerce companies?

The findings point to a broader strategic shift. Instead of treating websites as secondary storefronts, retailers are increasingly building parallel web and app strategies. This trend is reflected in a case study on Nykaa included in the Sensor Tower report.

 

According to the case study, Nykaa ranked first globally in both beauty app monthly active users and beauty website unique visitors during Q1 2026. Within India, it also led both categories, ahead of Purplle and Tira. Sensor Tower noted that the company's website audience and mobile user base have both expanded steadily since 2023, indicating that growth is coming from both channels rather than one replacing the other.

 

The report also noted that Nykaa crossed 40 million website unique visitors during the November 2025 shopping season while simultaneously recording more than 21 million monthly active users on its mobile app. This suggests retailers are increasingly building complementary web and app ecosystems instead of relying on a single platform.

How is social commerce changing online shopping?

The Nykaa case study also illustrates how customer acquisition is changing.

 

According to Sensor Tower, referrals from Wishlink to Nykaa's website increased 58 per cent during Q1 2026, while Instagram referrals rose 25.6 per cent. At the same time, inbound traffic from Amazon declined 11.4 per cent, while traffic flowing from Nykaa to Amazon fell 15.8 per cent.

 

The report said this indicates consumers are increasingly discovering products through creators, affiliate platforms and social media rather than traditional marketplace searches.

Are shopping apps losing relevance?

The report does not suggest that apps are losing relevance. Instead, it points to a maturing mobile ecosystem alongside a rapidly expanding web channel.

 

Globally, e-commerce app downloads have largely stabilised after reaching record levels in 2024 and 2025. In Q1 2026, general marketplace app downloads declined 5.3 per cent year-on-year, while time spent remained broadly flat with a 0.4 per cent increase, suggesting users continue to engage deeply with shopping apps even as new user acquisition slows.

 

At the same time, website unique visitors for general marketplaces increased 10.9 per cent year-on-year, even as total website visits remained broadly unchanged, suggesting more people are visiting these sites at least once, even if each visitor is browsing less frequently than before.

The report also shows that the world's largest platforms continue to invest across both channels. Amazon remains the largest cross-platform e-commerce platform globally, while Temu ranked second in both mobile monthly active users and website unique visitors. SHEIN, meanwhile, recorded 70 per cent year-on-year growth in website unique visitors, even though its web audience remains smaller than its mobile user base.

 

The data suggests that the next phase of e-commerce growth is unlikely to be a battle between apps and websites. Instead, retailers will increasingly use websites to attract shoppers and apps to retain them.

How could AI change the future of online shopping?

The report largely reflects how consumers shop today. But the next phase of e-commerce may be shaped as much by AI agents as by people.

 

Google's recently announced Gemini Intelligence points in that direction. Rather than simply answering questions, Gemini is being designed to complete multi-step shopping tasks across Android apps. If an app cannot complete the task, Gemini can continue the workflow inside Chrome using its Auto Browse capability, allowing it to compare products, navigate websites, fill forms, add items to shopping carts and complete purchases after user approval.

 

This suggests that the distinction between apps and websites could become less important for users, but more important for retailers.

 

An AI agent is unlikely to care whether it is interacting with a native application or a browser. It will simply choose whichever route allows it to complete the task most efficiently.

 

That could reinforce the hybrid strategy already emerging in Sensor Tower's data.

 

Instead of treating websites as secondary channels, retailers may increasingly need to optimise both their app and web experiences so AI systems can discover products, compare prices, access inventory and complete transactions, regardless of where the journey begins.