Sri Lanka’s “mobile moment”: Key trends shaping the future of customer experience in an increasingly digital region

It has begun making rapid progress in areas such as digital payments and loyalty, and major Sri Lankan brands are increasingly seeing the opportunity presented by mobile experiences.

As the country begins to have its “mobile moment”, and with Apadmi celebrating the opening of its new Sri Lankan hub, here's a look at the key trends shaping the future of mobile experiences in the region. 

Increased connectivity shifts mobile from communication tool to engagement platform

Sri Lanka’s connectivity is at an all time high. Mobile usage has continued to surge in the region with monthly data consumption increasing by 11.8% year-on-year.  

Sri Lankans also spend, on average, 4.2 hours per day on mobile devices with a significant portion of that time spent within apps.

With mobile increasingly offering convenience and efficiency, Sri Lankans are quickly adopting it as a preferred place for commerce, finance management, travel booking and more.

What does this mean for brands and businesses?

• Users are expecting more from mobile experiences to help manage daily life from finance to shopping to travel - if brands fail to optimise for this shift, they risk getting left behind

• Mobile enables a continuous, always-on relationship rather than a simple transactional tool

• There is an opportunity to maximise mobile now more than ever - optimise your app to keep customers engaged, drive loyalty and unlock maximum revenue

Digital payments and cashless commerce are no longer a ‘nice-to-have’

E-commerce transactions in Sri Lanka have been growing, with e-commerce card spending jumping by 27% year-on-year in 2024.

This has largely been enabled by QR-based payments (e.g. LankaQR) for interoperable mobile payments across banks and wallets, real-time bank transfers through the Common Electronic Fund Transfer Switch (CEFTS), and growth in mobile payment platforms linked to bank accounts and mobile wallets.

Increasing adoption of cashless transactions is driving mobile usage - customers who have built trust with secure mobile transactions are more likely to participate in loyalty schemes and repeat engagement.

What does this mean for brands and businesses?

• Retail and financial services must design experiences that effortlessly blend payment and loyalty levers

• Loyalty systems with mobile wallet integration and frictionless redemption will drive adoption and retention 

A steady rise in personalisation and value-driven experiences

As Sri Lankan customers become more mobile-savvy, brands equally have the opportunity to access better quality customer data. When collected and used correctly, this data can be used to better personalise mobile experiences and increase end-user value. 

With an elevated level of personalisation becoming more common, customer expectations will continue to rise, and highly personalised experiences will become non-negotiable.

What does this mean for brands and businesses?

• Loyalty must move from points-only schemes into relationship drivers that genuinely reward engagement with highly personalised incentives

• Mobile product design must be based on data and context to deepen customer affinity and boost lifetime value

The role of security, trust and compliance across mobile touchpoints

Last, but certainly not least, security, trust and compliance must underpin all these elements of a best-in-class mobile experience. 

As the use of mobile banking and payments has increased in Sri Lanka, so too has the risk related to cybersecurity and fraud. Reports indicate that mobile financial malware incidents have increased sharply in the region, prompting uncertainty and cautiousness for some customers. 

In response to some of these issues, Sri Lanka has passed online safety regulations and continues to build frameworks that aim to balance digital growth with user protection.

What does this mean for brands and businesses?

• Security should be baked into every step of mobile product design to protect users (you can explore this more in our 2026 Mobile Tech Trends Report)

• Clear communication on how data is collected, used and protected can build trust with users - show them you care

• Platforms that prioritise user safety and compliance with wider guidelines will gain a competitive edge

The mobile opportunity 

Sri Lanka’s mobile ecosystem presents an opportunity as consumer behaviours and expectations have matured to the point where app experiences are driving real business outcomes.

“The mobile opportunity in Sri Lanka is incredibly exciting. It has led to us expanding into Asia with a number of clients in Sri Lanka, and with near future product launches that will transform mobile experiences for both our clients and their customers,” explains Apadmi CEO Garry Partington. 

“It's a very relevant market for us, and we have been working with the British High Commission in Sri Lanka, setting up a subsidiary, Apadmi SL. This is another step in our global expansion, and I am really excited to see our team grow in the region, working closely with our clients locally.”

Apadmi’s new local office presence will serve as a strategic hub for client engagement and collaboration. Our approach emphasises end-to-end integration across loyalty, payments, CRM and customer engagement. We help brands capitalise on these trends to drive acquisition, retention and revenue growth.

If you’d like to discuss what these trends mean for your business or brand in Sri Lanka, and how to unlock new revenue through mobile experiences - we’d love to chat. Get in touch with us here.