China vs India: Why India's E-commerce Websites Score Higher

India (41 critical features) significantly outscores China (34 critical features) in our web benchmark. But this doesn't mean Indian e-commerce is better — it means the two markets have fundamentally different architectures.

The Web vs App Divide

India is web-first. Flipkart, Amazon India, Myntra, and Nykaa all maintain full-featured websites. Web traffic remains significant because many Indian consumers use low-storage phones where installing multiple shopping apps isn't practical.

China is app-first. Taobao, JD.com, Pinduoduo, and Douyin commerce are primarily mobile apps. Their websites are often simplified portals directing users to download the app. Features like live commerce, social shopping, and mini-programs exist exclusively in-app.

What China's Apps Have That No Website Does

If we benchmarked apps instead of websites, China would likely lead the world. Features like in-app live commerce, social group buying, AR try-on, and embedded payment ecosystems (WeChat Pay, Alipay) are years ahead of Western equivalents.

The Lesson

Benchmarking websites alone doesn't capture the full picture. Markets like China and South Korea have moved significant commerce into app ecosystems that web benchmarks miss. Our future roadmap includes app-based benchmarking to address this gap.