Women dominate India’s digital attention economy; AI apps see 100% growth: Report

Women users are emerging as one of the biggest drivers of digital engagement in urban India, spending more time than men across categories such as entertainment, messaging and e-commerce, according to the India Digital Behaviour Report 2025-26 published jointly by VTION and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI). 

The report found that female users showed deeper engagement across high-intent digital categories, especially commerce and entertainment. 

According to the report, women aged 18-24 spent up to 47% more time than men on e-commerce and quick commerce platforms. Female users in the 25-34 age group in mega cities spent 35.2 minutes per day on commerce apps compared to 24.8 minutes for male users, a 42% higher engagement level. 

The report said women users spent an average of 82.4 minutes per day on entertainment apps, while female users led engagement in messaging and commerce platforms as well. 

AI apps become a new digital habit

The report also highlighted the sharp rise of artificial intelligence applications in urban India, with the AI app category recording more than 100% growth during April 2025-March 2026. 

Urban users spent an average of 11.3 minutes per active day on AI applications, a level comparable to messaging platforms, according to the report. 

ChatGPT accounted for the largest share of AI app growth and held a dominant 70.8% category share by March 2026, followed by Google Gemini at 10%, Perplexity at 6.2%, Grok at 5.1%, and Microsoft Copilot at 4.9%. 

The findings suggest that AI tools are beginning to reshape digital discovery and online shopping behaviour.

“Consumers query AI before opening an e-commerce app. The consideration stage starts outside the traditional platform funnel,” the report said. 

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UPI shifts from adoption to utility

The report noted that India’s digital payments ecosystem has moved beyond the adoption phase, with UPI now functioning as a digital infrastructure across income groups.

According to NPCI data cited in the report, UPI recorded 241.6 billion transactions in FY2025-26, up 30% from 185.8 billion transactions in FY25. March 2026 alone saw a record 22.64 billion transactions. UPI now accounts for 84% of all retail digital payment volumes in India, with total annual transaction value reaching Rs 314.23 lakh crore. 

At the same time, loan and credit apps recorded 30% growth in monthly active users during the period, although session durations remained largely flat at 5.5-8.2 minutes per day. 

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Young India dominates social media engagement

The report found that social media continues to be dominated by younger urban Indians, particularly the 18-24 age group.

Users in that cohort spent more than 120 minutes per day on social media platforms, significantly higher than the overall category average of 97.9 minutes per day. 

In contrast, entertainment platforms saw stronger engagement from older users, with the 25-34 and 35+ cohorts spending roughly 78-80 minutes per day on average.