1. From the latest Shopping Apps Report, what key trends in APAC, specifically in India, stand out to you as we head into peak shopping season?
The mobile commerce landscape in APAC is not only growing, but is also maturing. The region posted increases in installs (+13%) and sessions (+2%) this year, outpacing mature markets like Europe and North America year-on-year (YoY). Such a trend proves yet again how much of a mobile-first market APAC is.
Consumers in the region are becoming larger by the number and more engaged. We’ve also seen how rapidly dynamic their behaviour has become, such as with their swift adoption of super apps, mobile wallets, and quick commerce, all of which continue to fuel app activity.
In India, we’re seeing a strong momentum, with a 4% increase in installs and a 37% increase in sessions, showing consumers are not just downloading the apps but using them more actively. Sessions per user per day also inched up to 1.29 in H1 of 2025, indicating deeper engagement per user.
What’s also interesting is that while paid user acquisition is rising globally, India dipped slightly, highlighting that brands in the country are more into organic discovery.
The bottomline is, APAC remains a growth engine for mobile commerce, where brands have the chance to scale quickly at lower costs, compared to mature markets. India’s growth on the other hand, focuses on the quality of engagement, where the opportunity for marketers lies in retention, personalization, and loyalty strategies, rather than volume growth.
2. How is AI helping shopping apps in mobile-first markets like India shift from simply chasing installs to winning and retaining higher-value, more engaged users?
For shopping app marketers, the priority today is to leverage AI to scale performance, improve ROI and adapt quickly amid a competitive landscape. With AI, marketers can now create content faster, connect with consumers smarter and convert them more successfully. This streamlines multiple layers in the marketing funnel: from forecasting demand, identifying high-value users, to reallocating budgets more smartly. At the same time, it helps marketers navigate the privacy-first world by predicting consumer behavior or analyzing groups of usersto measure campaigns without relying on user-level data. AI solutions like Adjust’s Growth Copilot enable marketers to turn complex data into clear, actionable insights in real time with the ease of a conversational, natural language interface. This makes it easier to spot trends, compare performance across campaigns, and act quickly especially during peak seasons like Diwali. Marketers can use AI to their advantage to not only acquire or convert new consumers, but also retain and win their loyalty for the long run.
3. Marketplace apps are leading in engagement and retention across APAC. Do you see similar patterns in India, and how is AI enabling this success?
Yes, With the e-commerce market projected to reach $200 billion in India, marketplace apps are booming thanks to their breadth of choice, daily deals and built-in discovery features, which allow users to come back even without the intent to buy.
AI plays a vital role in this success. By enabling hyper-personalized recommendations, smarter chatbots and predictive analytics, AI not only helps marketplaces convert new users but also keep them engaged, satisfied and loyal over time.
In this way, marketplaces act as a gateway to customer acquisition, while also building the foundation for long-term retention.
4. With acquisition costs on the rise, how can Indian shopping app marketers use AI to maximize ROI during events like Diwali, Singles Day, and Black Friday?
Major Q4 shopping events like Diwali, Singles’ Day and Black Friday put immense pressure on marketers where budgets are high, competition intensifies, and have zero margin for error. That’s where AI comes in. It helps marketers maximize ROI by predicting demand surges, automatically adjusting bids and budgets, and dynamically adapting messaging across platforms and formats.
AI makes it possible to allocate rising acquisition costs more efficiently, ensuring every campaign drives impact during these peak shopping moments.
5. Looking ahead, what opportunities do you see for AI to transform mobile commerce in India and APAC beyond the 2025 peak season?
AI will continue to reshape mobile commerce beyond 2025 by making shopping faster, smarter and more personalized across India and APAC. From powering quick commerce with real-time demand prediction and inventory optimization, to driving voice shopping and smarter chatbots that convert users, AI will enhance every step of the consumer journey.
Moreover, as privacy-first personalization becomes essential, AI will also help brands deliver relevant experiences responsibly, while Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) brands will use AI and first-party data to strengthen loyalty and lifetime value.
With India’s vast, diverse consumer base, high mobile-first adoption rates and robust public digital infrastructure, AI is set to play a vital role in the country’s e-commerce industry, helping redefine India’s economic trajectory in the years ahead.
