60 mn women in India online; 24 mn log in daily: Google

Mumbai: About 40 per cent of the 150 million Internet users in the country are women and close to 24 million of them log in everyday to check emails, interact on social networking sites and shop online, according to a study conducted by search giant Google.

"Around 60 million women in India are now online and use the Internet to manage their day-to-day life. With easy access to Internet at homes, cyber cafes, offices and growing adoption of smart phones, Internet is being used by women for a variety of things," Google India VP and Managing Director Rajan Anandan told reporters here. The study also found that women who are online are relatively more affluent and younger, he added. The study, which also includes internal data from Google and a survey of 1,000 women, found that three out of four women in SEC AB are now online and 75 per cent are in the 15-34 age group with over 24 million women accessing the Internet daily. In terms of online activity, email, search and social networking topped the list, followed by downloading music, looking for educational content, job search, watching videos and consuming news. In terms of top searched categories by women on Google, apparels and accessories was the biggest search category followed by food and drink, baby care, hair care, and skin care. The study found that categories like skin care, hair care, food and drink were the fast growing search categories, with queries coming from mobile phones accounting for almost 25 per cent of the total query volumes in these categories. According to the research conducted by TNS Australia, more than half of the respondents with access to Internet, said net research influenced their decision before finalising a product. Internet influence also turned out highest for categories like skin care (72 per cent), baby care (69 per cent) and hair care (65 per cent) products. Zara, Ray Ban and Victoria Secret were the most searched for international apparels and accessories brands, while Fastrack, Tanishq and Fab India were the most searched Indian brands. Coca Cola, Amul and Cadbury topped the search list for Food and Beverages category, while Loreal, Livon and Tresemme were most searched haircare brands. Google estimates that of the 10 million online shoppers for products, five million are women. Also indicative of high adoption of eCommerce by Indian women, is that one in four shoppers buys baby products online. Women also emerged as strong brand advocates - with 80 per cent saying they recommend their purchases to other women and 25 per cent stating that they share it online. "The top generic searches and most searched brands reflect that women are heavily engaged on the Internet and are using it to do online research before deciding on their final purchase for categories like skin, hair and baby care products," Anandan said. They talk about products and brands socially with 80 per cent respondents saying they recommend their purchases to other women and 25 per cent said they share it online. This makes it important for companies to focus on the digital platform for their marketing and promotional activities. Google said of the 50 million Youtube users in India, 40 per cent are women. Apart from music videos, TV shows and film content, videos on beauty and fashion, education, health and fitness, home care and cooking are popular among women on YouTube. PTI