Beyond the App: How India Is Redefining the Future of Online Shopping

• India logged nearly 58 billion e-commerce website visits in the past year, up 28%.

• App downloads show slower growth, rising just 6% in India.

• Fashion and beauty web traffic surged over 98% and 116% respectively.

• Social referrals are rising, while marketplace-driven traffic declines.

• Retailers are adopting dual web–app strategies amid growing AI influence.

For years, India’s e-commerce boom has revolved around the smartphone app. From Flipkart’s brief “app-only” strategy to Amazon’s focus on streamlined Android applications, industry consensus held that mobile apps would dominate the online shopping journey. However, fresh insights from Sensor Tower’s State of E-commerce 2026 report indicate that the balance may be shifting.

Over the past 12 months, India recorded nearly 58 billion visits to e-commerce websites—the highest figure globally. Website traffic in the country expanded 28% year-on-year, outpacing every other major market. Meanwhile, mobile app downloads have largely leveled off, signaling that the next wave of growth may be driven more by browsers than by fresh app installs.

Why the Web Is Gaining Ground

The data suggests shoppers are increasingly starting their purchase journeys on websites rather than opening dedicated apps.

Globally, fashion e-commerce sites saw visits jump 53.7% year-on-year, while unique visitors climbed 64.3% in the first quarter of 2026. In contrast, fashion app downloads rose just 6.1%, and total time spent on these apps fell 5.2%. The pattern points to consumers using websites for browsing and product discovery, while apps continue to serve as platforms for repeat buying.

Websites also offer a distribution advantage. They are easier to surface through Google searches, influencer links, affiliate networks and social media posts. This broader discoverability enables brands to reach potential buyers without first convincing them to download an app.

India at the Forefront

India is not merely following this trend—it is leading it.

According to the report, India outpaced mature markets such as the United States, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom in total website visits over the past year. Between Q2 CY2025 and Q1 CY2026, e-commerce app downloads in India rose only 6%, reinforcing the notion that user acquisition through apps is stabilizing.

In Q1 CY2026 alone, fashion e-commerce websites in India averaged nearly 1.4 billion monthly visits, the highest worldwide. Traffic to these sites surged 98.3% year-on-year, nearly doubling from the previous year. Although Pakistan posted a faster growth rate of 109.3%, it started from a much smaller base. Brazil and Türkiye recorded growth rates of 51% and 57.8%, respectively.

The beauty segment tells a similar story. During the same quarter, India registered close to 350 million average monthly visits to beauty e-commerce websites. Traffic in this category soared 116% year-on-year, positioning India as the primary growth driver globally.

What It Means for Retailers

The findings underscore a broader strategic recalibration within the industry. Retailers are increasingly investing in websites and apps as complementary channels rather than viewing one as secondary.

Sensor Tower’s case study of Nykaa illustrates this approach. In Q1 2026, Nykaa ranked first globally in both monthly active users for beauty apps and unique visitors for beauty websites. Domestically, it led both categories ahead of competitors such as Purplle and Tira.

Since 2023, Nykaa’s web and mobile audiences have grown in tandem. During the November 2025 festive shopping season, the platform surpassed 40 million website unique visitors while also maintaining more than 21 million monthly active users on its app. The figures suggest a synchronized ecosystem where each channel reinforces the other.

The Rise of Social Commerce

Changing traffic sources further highlight evolving consumer behavior.

Referrals from Wishlink to Nykaa’s website climbed 58% in Q1 2026, while Instagram-driven visits rose 25.6%. At the same time, inbound traffic from Amazon declined 11.4%, and outbound flows from Nykaa to Amazon dropped 15.8%. This shift indicates that shoppers are increasingly discovering products through creators, affiliates and social platforms instead of traditional marketplace searches.

Are Apps Losing Relevance?

The report stops short of declaring a decline in app relevance. Instead, it portrays a maturing app ecosystem alongside a rapidly expanding web presence.

Globally, e-commerce app downloads stabilized after record highs in 2024 and 2025. In Q1 2026, general marketplace app downloads fell 5.3% year-on-year, while total time spent on apps edged up 0.4%, suggesting that existing users remain engaged even as new downloads slow.

On the web side, unique visitors to general marketplace sites rose 10.9% year-on-year, even though overall visit volumes remained relatively steady. This implies broader reach, albeit with slightly lower visit frequency per user.

Major global players continue to invest across both platforms. Amazon retains its position as the largest cross-platform e-commerce brand worldwide. Temu ranks second in both app monthly active users and website unique visitors, while SHEIN posted 70% year-on-year growth in website unique visitors, even though its mobile base remains larger.

The AI Factor

While the report captures present-day shopping patterns, emerging technologies may further reshape the landscape.

Google’s newly introduced Gemini Intelligence hints at a future where AI agents manage complex shopping workflows. Designed to execute multi-step tasks across Android apps, Gemini can switch to Chrome’s Auto Browse feature if needed—comparing products, navigating sites, filling forms and completing purchases with user approval.

In such a scenario, the distinction between app and website may blur for consumers but grow more critical for retailers. AI systems will prioritize efficiency over format, choosing whichever channel enables faster completion of tasks.

The implications are clear: retailers must optimize both their web and mobile platforms. As India’s data demonstrates, the next chapter of e-commerce will not be defined by apps replacing websites or vice versa. Instead, growth will stem from an integrated strategy—using the web to attract shoppers and apps to retain them, while preparing for an AI-driven future that demands seamless performance across both.