Smartphones boost retail website traffic by 45.3%: Report

New Delhi, June 28 (IANS) With smartphones playing a key role in driving website traffic in India, the retail sector was the most visited, with an annual growth rate of 45.3 per cent in 2016, says a report.

This was followed by media and entertainment sector at 39.2 per cent year-on-year growth, and travel and hospitality sector at 34.4 per cent, revealed the Adobe Digital Insights report, titled "Best of the Best JAPAC."

"As smartphone adoption levels increase, India is on the verge of becoming a digital-first nation. In times like these, where opportunities for digital success are in abundance, the need to constantly evolve or provide value has become vital for brands," Becky Tasker, Senior Managing Analyst (Adobe Digital Insights), Adobe said in a statement on Wednesday.

Further, gaps in smartphone traffic widened dramatically and the best performers in retail had the greatest gap between the best and the rest, with smartphone share totalling 67.8 per cent.

While top performers in media and entertainment soared at 53 per cent, in finance the performance dipped by 22.1 per cent.

The report also highlighted that brands across industries have embraced social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as Instagram, which gained more adoption year-over-year as compared to other channels.

"With the growing smartphones penetration, consumers are establishing their digital presence and gaining more opportunity to interact with brands. Brands that adopt mobile strategy and offer a compelling and consistent customer experience are driving better business results and will continue to maintain a lead over the competition," Tasker added.

The report was based on anonymous data from 100 billion visits to more than 3,000 websites in Asia, including 16 billion visits from India.