India, Feb 25: As Indian consumers move fluidly between scrolling on social media and shopping in-store or online, retail journeys are becoming increasingly omnichannel. To understand this shift, Meta, in collaboration with the Retailers Association of India (RAI), has unveiled findings from a new whitepaper highlighting how AI, short-form video, creators, and messaging platforms are reshaping Indians discover, evaluate, and purchase products across digital and physical channels.
The report finds that omnichannel shoppers are significantly more valuable, with consumers who shop across channels spending 2.5 times more than single-channel shoppers and up to 73% more when engaging across multiple touchpoints. Blending research insights with real-world case studies, the whitepaper outlines how discovery, conversation, and commerce are converging to make unified retail journeys a core growth model.
Said Meghna Apparao, Director, E-Commerce & Retail (India), Meta,
“I urge retail leaders to focus on three transformative pillars highlighted in this whitepaper. First, harness the power of Reels and Creators to drive authentic engagement and brand storytelling. Second, embrace omnichannel performance marketing to seamlessly connect with consumers across platforms, optimizing reach and impact. Third, leverage WhatsApp as a direct, personalized channel for customer interaction and commerce. Together, these strategies unlock new growth opportunities, foster deeper relationships, and position your brand at the forefront of digital retail innovation in India’s dynamic market.”
Said Hitesh Bhatt, Director – Marketing & Communications, Retailers Association of India (RAI),
“There has been a fundamental shift in retail: consumers no longer move between online and offline; they operate across both at once. Discovery, influence, and purchase now happen through content, creators, conversations, and stores, often in the same journey. For retailers, the challenge is no longer adopting digital tools, but integrating them to drive measurable outcomes. Omnichannel maturity will define competitiveness in Indian retail, and this report outlines what it takes to get there.”
Social Media & Creators – The New Gateway to Retail
The Indian retail landscape is undergoing a clear shift from a search-based transaction model to a scroll-led discovery ecosystem. Today, 77% of retail brand and product discovery happens on social media, with Meta platforms accounting for 96% of this discovery, underscoring the growing influence of Instagram and Facebook on both online and offline purchases.
Short-form video has emerged as the dominant engagement format, with 97% of consumers watching it daily and 60% of time on Facebook and Instagram spent on video. At the same time, the rise of micro and nano creators is reshaping trust and accelerating purchase decisions, with creator-led campaigns delivering measurable lifts across consideration, intent, and conversion.
Said Manoj Jain, Senior VP & Head, Omni Channel Marketing, Reliance Digital,
“Reliance Digital has embraced a Reels-forward strategy, leveraging it to drive brand awareness and business outcomes on Meta. Central to this is our collaboration with regional creators on Meta, enabling authentic connections that resonate with diverse communities, delivering stronger engagement and measurable impact, making Meta an important pillar in our marketing strategy.”
AI-powered omnichannel is redefining retail growth
Indian consumers are increasingly adopting a “phygital” shopping behaviour, with more than half researching products online before buying in-store and a similar proportion researching in-store before purchasing online. This shift is pushing retailers to move beyond siloed digital and physical channels toward unified commerce models that integrate discovery, conversion, and fulfillment across touchpoints.
Retailers that have adopted integrated omnichannel strategies are reporting tangible business gains. Indian retailers using Meta’s Omnichannel Optimization have seen over fourfold improvements in omnichannel return on ad spend, while integrated data strategies have driven up to 15% revenue growth. Those integrating in-store sales data with Meta advertising measurement are also reporting two to fivefold increases in ROAS and up to ninefold incremental sales growth, underscoring the impact of unified data and AI-driven optimisation in connecting digital marketing to offline revenue.
Said Amit Agarwal, CMO, Croma,
“Meta’s AI-powered solutions have fundamentally elevated our omnichannel approach, enabling us to integrate offline data and activate performance marketing across all touchpoints. This strategic shift empowers us to optimize customer journeys, unlock new growth opportunities, and drive sustained incremental footfall & revenue impact—online and offline—while future-proofing our business in a rapidly evolving retail landscape.”
WhatsApp Is Transforming Commerce into Conversations
Bridging discovery and transaction is the rapid rise of WhatsApp as a commerce channel, with messaging emerging as a powerful engine for discovery, conversion, and customer engagement. 72% of product discovery now happens on WhatsApp, highlighting the platform’s growing role in shaping purchase journeys.
Retailers using Business Messaging and Click-to-WhatsApp campaigns are seeing a 61% average improvement in return on ad spend, a 62% increase in leads generated, and 22% higher order values, reinforcing the role of conversational commerce in driving acquisition and sales.
Creators are further accelerating this shift, with 71% of consumers making a purchase within a couple of days after seeing creator content on Meta technologies, highlighting how discovery on social platforms is increasingly translating into real-world transactions.
Businesses integrating in-store sales data with Meta advertising are seeing 2x–5x+ ROAS uplift and up to 9x incremental sales growth, demonstrating how AI-driven optimization and unified data can connect digital discovery with real-world commerce outcomes.
Key Stats from the Retail Whitepaper:
- Rise of Omnichannel Consumer Journeys: More than 50% of retail consumers research a product online before buying in-store and over 50% research in-store before buying online, highlighting the seamless consumer journeys between physical and digital touchpoints.
- Omnichannel shoppers are significantly more valuable: Consumers who shop across channels spend 2.5× more than single-channel shoppers, making unified commerce a critical business growth lever for retailers.
- Meta’s Conversions API is unlocking measurable offline impact: Businesses that integrated in-store sales with Meta advertising data via CAPI are able to evaluate the true impact of Meta ads on in-store sales with ROAS uplift ranging from 2x–5x+ and up to 9x incremental sales uplift depending on industry and market.
- Meta’s Omnichannel Optimization is driving higher marketing efficiency: Indian retailers using Omnichannel Optimization have seen 4×+ omnichannel ROAS lift, demonstrating the impact of AI-driven optimisation across online and offline conversions.
- Reels and creators are driving measurable retail performance: Retail brands using Reels and creators are seeing 71% higher brand intent lift and 19% lower acquisition costs, showing that creator-led and short-form video content is now a core performance driver.
- WhatsApp is becoming a key retail discovery and conversion channel: 72% of product discovery happens on WhatsApp, and retailers using Business Messaging and Click-to-WhatsApp are seeing:
- 61% average improvement in ROAS
- 62% average increase in leads generated
- 22% higher order values
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