77% of retail discovery in India now happens on social media: Report

The report highlights a decisive shift towards omnichannel shopping, with consumers moving fluidly between digital browsing and physical stores. More than half of Indian shoppers’ research products online before purchasing in-store, while a similar proportion research in-store before buying online. Omnichannel shoppers spend 2.5 times more than single-channel consumers and up to 73 per cent more when engaging across multiple touchpoints.

Messaging platforms are playing a central role in this transformation, with the report finding that 72 per cent of product discovery now happens on WhatsApp. Retailers leveraging Business Messaging and Click-to-WhatsApp campaigns have recorded a 61 per cent improvement in return on ad spend (ROAS), a 62 per cent rise in leads and 22 per cent higher order values.

At the same time, AI-driven commerce tools are delivering measurable business impact. Retailers using Meta’s Omnichannel Optimization have reported over fourfold improvements in omnichannel return on ad spend, while businesses integrating in-store sales data through Conversions API have seen 2x to 5x+ ROAS uplift and up to ninefold incremental sales growth.

Content formats are also reshaping engagement. Short-form video has emerged as the dominant medium, with 97 per cent of consumers watching it daily and 60 per cent of time on Facebook and Instagram spent on video. Creator-led campaigns are further accelerating purchase decisions, with 71 per cent of consumers making a purchase within days of seeing creator content.

The findings underscore a broader shift from a search-led retail model to a scroll-driven discovery ecosystem, where AI, creators and unified data strategies are becoming central to growth in India’s increasingly phygital commerce landscape.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (CG)