The Indian e-commerce industry witnessed an uptick in women smartphone users since the beginning of 2022 but interestingly when it comes to spending more time online, Indian women are more keen on using education & finance applications which are supposed to be the male dominant space. Bobble AI, India’s largest conversation media platform, has come up with a market intelligence data report focusing on women users (Gender Declared Data) for six key sectors (eCommerce, Beauty, Fashion eCommerce, Health and Fitness, Finance, Education) in India. Bobble’s report is based on its over 50 million smartphone users’ (in 640+ Indian cities) data processed in a privacy-compliant manner.  

Ecommerce recorded a 66.28% market share and almost 71% Active users share when compared to other categories analysed. The data also revealed an exponential increase in the average time spent by the users on finance and education apps on a monthly basis. In February 2022, users spent an average of almost 2 hours per month on finance apps, and more than an hour per month on education apps even though their market share is considerably less when compared to other categories. At the same time, ‘Avg. Time Spent’ on other categories was 42 minutes for E-Commerce, 19 minutes for Beauty, 25 minutes for Fashion Ecommerce and 20 minutes for Health and Fitness.

When comparing the market share distribution of the two biggest e-commerce players for new female users acquired in February 2022, Flipkart zoomed past Amazon by acquiring 65.6% of the new female users over February while Amazon acquired 34.4%. Vivo was the most searched keyword by women on Flipkart. Other prominent keywords searched were Lipstick, Mascara, Loreal, Lakme and Serum in the Beauty category and Tops, Kurti, Heels, Jeans and Party wear in the Fashion e-commerce category.

The report further mentions that female smartphone users (Bobble keyboard users) are largely engaging in the finance and education sectors more than ever before, owing to their interest in investments and for making better informed decisions. Higher engagement in the education sector can also be due to an increase in online classes/sessions. Apart from smartphones in the top searches, the report observes an increasing trend in searches for gadgets like smartwatches, earphones, earbuds, followed by apparel. These data points enable ecommerce businesses to mindfully build strategic communication using conversational marketing. 

Tabrez Alam, Chief Data & Strategy Officer – Data Strategies, Bobble AI, stated, ” It’s truly delightful to see more women engaging in finance and education applications; this reflects the ground level change in Indian society where women are not just aware of their personality and lifestyle choices but they are equally concerned about their education, career, growth, financial planning & economic freedom. This report also brings out an amazing insight & incredible actionable data on rapidly changing women smartphone users’ consumer behaviour that is highly relevant and critical for brands targeting women to ensure its success. Thus, through Bobble AI, we are on a quest to offer data-backed analysis to brands and individuals so that they may comprehend general trends and experience agility in building equity and recognition among their relevant target audiences.”

The fast-growing industry segments such as finance and education have a promising future ahead and are brimming with opportunity. According to the findings of Bobble AI, the financial and education sectors are increasing women’s access to credit and investment prospects and promoting empowerment and equity. Hence, these sectors are expected to thrive in the coming years. 

Also read: Education sector is welcoming to women: Dhwani Jaipuria