Mobile growth shaping internet usage in India: Google

March 11, 2016 0 Comment

Mobile growth is shaping internet usage in India. With over 200 million mobile internet users in the country, mobile captured 60 per cent share of all shopping-related queries and over 50 per cent share of all travel-related queries, said a study.

The study by search giant Google said that for YouTube, over 60 per cent of views are now coming from mobile. In the classifieds space, online job listings saw revival with over 41 per cent job related searches coming from mobile phones.

Calling out mobile 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.

“From planning holidays, to decorating homes, to buying groceries, watching their favorite 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. It is exciting to see, for example, how Search interest for cars is seeing a strong correlation to actual sales. The year 2015 saw whole new categories such as hyperlocal, standardized accommodation getting established as mainstream, while others like digital payments and cab services found a strong foothold-all powered by the internet and mobile,” said Rajan Anandan, VP & Managing Director, Google India.

 With tier-II 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 car searches coming from tier 2 cities.

Real estate searches from tier 2 cities saw massive growth seeing 100 per cent y-o-y growth. In the pre-owned category, searches for used cars formed the largest share with seven in 10 searches coming in for used cars.

With growing Internet penetration, the Industry also evolved its offerings to serve the needs of online users. Easy to adopt products introduced by banking and insurance companies saw immediate adoption with one in four users buying auto insurance online. Over 50 per cent of health insurance queries came from mobile phones.

Omni channel 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. Telcos also introduced new convenient services aimed to increase customer satisfaction and engagement, with telecom service provider’s apps seeing over 170 per cent y-oy growth in search queries, said the study.

Some top searches by vertical on Google for 2015

Wearables – 250% growth in searches y-o-y

4G devices – 200% growth in searches y-o-y

Car rentals – 60% growth in searches y-o-y

Cab services – 86% growth in searches y-o-y

Carpooling & ridesharing – 173% growth in searches y-o-y

Online Dating – 50% growth in searches y-o-y

Auto – 40% – Used vehicles query growth 200%

Real estate – 40% growth in real estate searches

How to queries for FMCG products – 100% growth in searches y-o-y

Hyperlocal Grocery searches – 55% growth in searches y-o-y

Budget hotels – 42% growth in searches y-o-y

Online education – 30% growth in searches y-o-y