Are women using AI, OTT and shopping apps more than men in India?

From binge-watching entertainment content to browsing shopping apps and using quick commerce platforms, women in urban India are increasingly shaping the country’s digital habits. A new report suggests that female users are now among the strongest drivers of online engagement, spending significantly more time than men across several major app categories.

The findings offer a closer look at how digital behaviour is evolving in India’s cities, especially among younger users who now rely on smartphones not just for communication, but also for shopping, entertainment, payments and even AI-powered discovery.

Women are spending more time online across major categories

According to a joint report by VTION and Internet and Mobile Association of India, women in urban India spend more time than men on most digital platforms.

The gap is especially visible in categories such as:

• Entertainment
• Messaging
• E-commerce
• Quick commerce

Researchers found that women users are particularly active when it comes to content consumption and online shopping behaviour.

Entertainment remains the biggest digital habit

The report highlighted that women spend an average of 82.4 minutes per day consuming entertainment-related content.

Among them, women aged between 25 and 34 years recorded the highest engagement, spending around 86.3 minutes daily on entertainment platforms.

This reflects how streaming platforms, short video apps and digital entertainment continue to dominate screen time among urban users.

Women are leading quick commerce engagement too

One of the sharpest differences between male and female users appeared in the e-commerce and quick commerce segment.

According to the report, women aged 25 to 34 living in megacities spent an average of 35.2 minutes per day on shopping and delivery platforms.

In comparison, urban male users in the same category averaged 24.8 minutes daily, showing a 42 percent higher engagement level among women.

The findings suggest that women are becoming key drivers of India’s rapidly expanding online shopping ecosystem.

AI apps are becoming a new daily habit

The report also highlighted the rapid rise of AI applications in urban India.

Between April 2025 and March 2026, AI app usage reportedly grew by more than 100 per cent, making it one of the fastest-growing digital categories.

Urban users spent an average of 11.3 minutes per day on AI-related applications.

At present, AI usage remains concentrated mainly among:

• Users aged 18 to 34
• Higher-income urban households

Researchers noted that conversational AI tools are increasingly influencing how users search for products, brands and information online.

Many consumers are now turning to AI apps before opening traditional search engines or shopping platforms.

Young Indians continue to dominate social media usage

The report found that users aged 18 to 24 remain the biggest drivers of social media engagement in urban India.

This age group spends around 120 minutes per day on social media platforms, significantly higher than the overall category average of 97.9 minutes daily.

Meanwhile, users above the age of 35 continue to dominate entertainment consumption, averaging around 77 to 78 minutes per day watching digital content.

Payment apps are now part of everyday life

Unlike other digital categories, payment app usage showed relatively consistent engagement across income groups.

The report found that users from higher, middle and lower-income urban households all displayed similar patterns when it came to digital payments and financial apps.

This reflects how UPI and app-based payments have become deeply integrated into daily urban life across demographics.

What the report analysed

The study analysed data collected from more than one lakh consented smartphones, representing over 407 million urban Indians.

The findings offer one of the clearest snapshots yet of how smartphone behaviour is reshaping urban lifestyles, shopping habits and entertainment patterns across the country.

As India’s digital ecosystem continues to expand, the report suggests that women, younger users and AI-driven habits are likely to play an even bigger role in shaping the future of online engagement.