New Delhi, May 18, 2026
Women users are the strongest drivers of digital engagement in urban India, spending more time than men across categories such as entertainment, messaging and e-commerce or quick commerce, a report said on Monday.
The joint report from consumer behaviour analytics platform VTION and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) found that women spent more time than men across most categories, with the sharpest differences visible in commerce platforms.
It highlighted that women spend an average of 82.4 minutes per day on entertainment-related content.
Women aged between 25 and 34 peaked in this category with 86.3 minutes of consumption per day.
In the e-commerce or quick commerce category, the 25-34 urban female cohort in megacities averaged 35.2 minutes per day compared to 24.8 minutes for urban male users, reflecting a 42 per cent higher engagement level.
AI apps are witnessing rapid adoption as a new daily digital habit in urban India, with the category recording over 100 per cent growth during April 2025-March 2026 and urban users spent an average of 11.3 minutes per day on AI applications.
AI application usage is currently concentrated among 18–34-year-olds and higher-income urban households.
Conversational AI is increasingly influencing how users discover brands and products online, with consumers turning to AI tools before opening traditional search or e-commerce platforms, the report noted.
Young, mass-market urban India of users aged 18–24 drives social media, averaging 120 minutes per day of usage compared to the category of overall 97.9 minutes per day.
Urban consumers aged above 35 anchored the entertainment category, consuming content for 77-78 minutes per day.
Payment app engagement patterns remain largely consistent across income groups, with urban users across higher, middle and lower-income urban household categories.
The report analysed data from over 1 lakh consented smartphones representing over 407 million urban Indians.(Agency)
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