Women Lead India's Digital App Usage Growth: Report

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Wednesday, 20 May 2026

India's urban women are far outspending men on time spent on entertainment, messaging, and e-commerce platforms, while AI apps are becoming a daily digital addiction among wealthy young users, as per the India Digital Behaviour Report 2025-26 released by the Internet And Mobile Association of India and consumer intelligence platform VTION.

The report showed that urban women aged 25-34 in mega cities use e-commerce and quick commerce apps for 35.2 minutes on average every day, whereas men only for 24.8 minutes, showing a 42 percent higher level of engagement.

Key Highlights:

• The urban women in India are driving conversations about commerce and entertainment apps.
• The women between the ages of 18-34 are fast becoming one of the main forces behind India’s digital economy.
• The adoption rate of AI-based apps went up more than 100 percent among wealthy, young, urban Indians.

Among younger users, the difference in engagement is even more pronounced, with women aged 18-24 spending up to 47 per cent more time than men on commerce apps, which makes them arguably one of the most valuable user segments in India's digital economy.

Women on entertainment platforms are also engaging more than men. In cities, women usually spend 82.4 minutes per day on entertainment apps on an average, while women at 25-34 years old even spend up to 86.3 minutes daily.

The report characterized women as the “silent majority of attention” in the digital categories with highest engagement in India.

Gurjodhpal Singh, CEO of Tide India and a fintech industry veteran with prior leadership experience at PayU, commenting on the findings stated that the report shows that women users, especially those who are entrepreneurs and professionals, are becoming more digitally confident.

He said, “The report reflects a significant shift in India’s digital landscape, with women increasingly driving engagement across platforms and digital services. As more women adopt digital-first lifestyles, we are also witnessing stronger adoption of digital banking, payments, and business management tools. This presents a meaningful opportunity to deepen financial inclusion.”

The report also shows that women are taking a lead role in India's online consumption economy.

According to a Mumbai-based professional, Rashneen Anand who was cited in the article, digital platforms have become an inseparable element in the ways young women organize their lifestyles and make purchasing decisions.

Rashneen stated, “The strong engagement among women aged 18-24 signals a broader cultural shift. Young women are no longer just consumers of digital content; they are trendsetters, key purchase influencers, and a powerful force driving India’s digital economy.”

By examining app usage behaviour of more than 100,000 consented smartphones which are representative of over 407 million urban Indians, the report also pointed out the growing prominence of AI applications among wealthy urban consumers.

AI-based applications experienced a growth rate of more than 100 per cent from April 2025 to March 2026, with urban Indians averaging 11.3 active minutes daily on AI tools. The most significant adoption was by the 18-34 age group, the upper-income households and cities in the northern parts of India.

The study notes that AI is starting to influence the way people discover things online, as more and more consumers are using AI tools even before they are starting a search engine or a shopping app. This trend is particularly visible for electronic purchases with long research journeys such as financial products, travel-related items, and smartphones.