Nearly 80% shoppers discover new products through social media, says Meta study
In the last few years, social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook have emerged as the go-to source for billions worldwide to see what's happening in the world. These platforms are also playing an important role in guiding purchasing decisions. As it turns out, social media platforms are also shaping how consumers discover new products and brands online. As it turns out, millions of Indians rely on influencers, short-form video content and messaging campaigns to see if a product is worth buying.
According to a new Meta-commissioned study by GWI, which asked 2,548 internet users between the ages of 16 and 64, almost 8 in 10 shoppers discover new products via social media, with 98 per cent of these discoveries happening on Meta platforms like Instagram and Facebook. It also claims that before making a purchase, a large number of shoppers depend on online platforms for research instead of simply relying on displays in physical retail stores.
Meghna Apparao, the director of e-commerce and retail at Meta India, said, 'Indian shoppers today are social-first, mobile-first and video-first, irrespective of whether the purchase happens offline or online.' With Indian consumers now resorting to Reels, messaging and influencers to find and evaluate new content, Meta has emerged as the go-to platform for businesses in the country to increase their sales.
The study claims that short-form videos with a length of between two to three minutes and Reels are proving to be effective, as almost one-third of buyers make their decision based on whether a product is featured in a brand video. As it turns out, the trend applies mostly to luxury products, where viewers are highly influenced by short-form videos.
Influencer marketing also happens to be one of the major reasons why retail action has increased in India. The Meta commissioned study suggests that 6 in 10 customers follow creators on different platforms, with the category having the biggest impact on both product discovery.
Talking of WhatsApp, it looks like the instant messaging platform is playing an important role when it comes to buying new products, with almost 60 per cent of shoppers buying after coming across an offer on the platform. To keep up with consumer shifts, Meta says it recently added new 'omnichannel advertising capabilities', which help brands increase online engagement.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
36 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Big Tech's acqui-hire strategy heats up as demand for AI talent soars
Live Events Meta's $15 billion investment in Scale AI for a 49% stake is the latest in a series of transactions that large technology companies have made to acquire talent as they seek to get ahead in the AI acquihiring is not just a trend, but a strategic necessity for these companies and is likely to see more traction, as the demand for AI talents will continue to increase, say the last two years, large technology players have been acquiring AI startups for their technology teams. Microsoft paid $650 million in a licensing deal to Inflection AI, whose cofounder Mustafa Suleyman is now heading Microsoft AI. In a similar licensing deal, Amazon hired AI startup Adept cofounder David Luan and others who joined Amazon's AGI the home front in India, well-funded AI startups Krutrim and Sarvam acquired semiconductor startup Bodhi Computing and legal platform Samta Law, respectively, to enter new are a couple of reasons for this. 'We're at an inflection point where foundational AI talent is in such short supply and high demand that companies are willing to buy entire teams to accelerate their AI roadmap,' said Sachin Arora, partner and leader – data & analytics, agents and cloud at PwC Meta for instance. Following the $15 billion investment, Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang will report to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and will lead the social media giant's new AI lab focused on pointed out that unlike in the software-as-a-service sector, where acquihires were often about engineering execution, in AI, it's about vision, research and IP. "You're acquiring not just builders but boundary-pushers, people who define what's next,' he a few years ago, when acquisitions were a norm, regulatory scrutiny has increased in recent times. EY India technology consulting partner Hari Balaji said established tech giants are seeing escalating regulatory scrutiny prompting them to grow through reverse acquihires without triggering anti-trust addition to this, acquihires are also an avenue for companies to enter highly competitive sectors and acquire new customers.A lot of this is stemming from a small pool of talent that is currently available in AI.A Bengaluru-based investor earlier told ET on the condition of anonymity that beyond accelerating the AI journey, increasing the market share and acquiring new capabilities are the other reasons for M&As and acquihires. 'In our portfolio, some of the startups are evaluating companies that bring key AI capabilities for one of the three reasons mentioned,' he had these are early days in India. 'What we are seeing are small deals or acquihires and not large deals that would attract large enterprises yet, which are a huge value add,' Kae Capital general partner Gaurav Chaturvedi earlier told ET. 'Those are beginning to happen in the US. These will take time to pan out in India.'
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
India in anti-dumping crosshairs: US, Pakistan target Indian exports at WTO
New Delhi: The US, Brazil and Pakistan have initiated anti-dumping measures against India, which has been fighting its own battle against low-priced products flooding domestic markets. Trade experts suggest some of these measures may be strategic, signalling a growing wave of trade defense actions against India and aimed at influencing New Delhi's trade negotiations with key partners. Pakistan's anti-dumping charges against India are particularly baffling, as the two duelling neighbours have banned any trade between them. Yet, Pakistan has initiated an anti-dumping investigation against India over exports of sulfonic acid, which is used in manufacturing detergents, dyes, and catalysts, according to a World Trade Organization report released late on Thursday (12 June). The WTO document details preliminary and final anti-dumping measures undertaken by 11 members of the trade body, including major economies such as the US, Brazil, Pakistan, Indonesia, and the UK, against various countries. The report is based on notices submitted in May under Article 16.4 of the WTO Anti-Dumping Agreement. 'Such measures reflect the growing wave of trade protectionism aimed at shielding domestic industries," said Abhash Kumar, a trade economist and assistant professor of economics at Delhi University, referring to the anti-dumping charges against India. 'The repeated targeting of Indian products highlights the need for India to adopt a more proactive trade defense strategy." The commerce ministry didn't immediately reply to Mint's queries on the development. Amid India-US trade talks India and the US concluded a fifth round of face-to-face talks on 10 June on streamlining tariffs and reducing non-tariff barriers towards finalising a landmark bilateral trade agreement. But New Delhi also approached the WTO over the US's steep tariffs on Indian steel, aluminium and auto component exports. Washington has rejected India's notices at the WTO against the US's 25% tariff on steel and aluminium—both of which have since been increased to 50%—as well as the 25% duty on auto components. However, as per a Mint report on 10 June, the US has agreed to discuss both issues with India outside the WTO framework. Amidst this, the US has initiated a broad set of investigations into Indian exports across critical sectors, according to the WTO report. These include ceramic tiles, cold-drawn mechanical tubing of carbon and alloy steel, and corrosion-resistant steel products, which are central to India's manufacturing and infrastructure export strategy. Also read | US puts hard terms on table, presents a take-it-or-leave-it offer India's total exports of ceramic products to the US stood at $403.87 million in 2023-24, but declined to $361.44 million in FY25, according to commerce ministry data. In the chemical sector, Indian-origin epoxy resins, glycine, melamine, and granular polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) resins are facing trade restrictions. The US has also listed Indian exports of 2,4-D herbicide and raw honey under anti-dumping scrutiny, pointing to growing tensions over India's role in global agricultural commodity markets. Exports of Indian-origin resins to the US increased from $358.07 million in FY24 to $448.73 million in FY25, while India's honey exports to the US jumped from $176.29 million to $204.58 million. Pakistan's puzzling charges India's challenges are not limited to Washington. Brazil has named India in an investigation into pre-painted steel, raising concerns over competitive steel pricing from South Asia. Pakistan, meanwhile, has initiated an anti-dumping investigation into sulphonic acid imports from six countries, including India. This development is particularly puzzling given that India banned exports to Pakistan after the Pulwama attack in 2019, and Pakistan banned all trade with India in August 2019 following India's decision to revoke Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. With direct imports from India into Pakistan prohibited for nearly six years, analysts suggest that Islamabad's investigation may be aimed at Indian-origin sulphonic acid entering Pakistan through third countries such as the UAE, Singapore, or Malaysia. Also read | After US's 50% tariff blow, India now faces EU heat on steel quotas 'These shipments may have been relabelled to hide their Indian origin, raising concerns within Pakistan's domestic industry. It's also possible that the investigation is based on the injury caused by imports that took place before the trade ban came into effect," said Ajay Srivastava, co-founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative, a think tank. 'Alternatively, the move could be strategic, aimed at formally challenging India's pricing practices and laying the groundwork for future trade negotiations," he added. India's anti-dumping woes India's trade investigation body, the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), has initiated 11 anti-dumping investigations and issued final findings in 13 cases—mostly targeting Chinese products—in FY25. In the past, India had launched an anti‑dumping probe on high‑speed steel imports from Brazil in 2018. In January this year, the DGTR launched anti-dumping investigations into imports of nylon filament yarn and sulphenamides accelerators originating from the US. 'As anti-dumping actions rise globally, including from key partners like the US, India will use both its legal rights at the WTO and the ongoing BTA negotiations to defend its exporters, push for fairer trade rules, and address protectionist barriers," a government official said. However, India did not file any new cases during the May reporting period.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Delhi govt to start evening buses for tourists to PM Museum, War Memorial
Tourism minister Kapil Mishra on Friday said the Delhi government is going to start AC electric bus services to ferry tourists from Pradhan Mantri Sanghrahalya to the National War Memorial on an evening tour. He said more such bus services are being planned for other tourist places in the Capital. 'We have planned to start evening tours by AC electric buses from the Prime Minister Museum to the National War Memorial. We will hire new nine-metre electric buses from the Delhi Transport Corporation for the purpose. The service is going to start soon,' Mishra told HT. The Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya at Teen Murti Bhavan is a tribute to all Prime Ministers of India. The museum was inaugurated in 2022 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The National War Memorial at India Gate is a memorial to the valour and sacrifice of Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in service to the nation. It was inaugurated in 2019 by Modi. Mishra said the details of other tourist places which will be covered under this service are being worked out and will be finalised soon. The minister said the buses will have a coloured design to make them stand out. An official in the minister's office said that according to the fare plans discussed so far, the bus ride will cost ₹500 for adults and ₹300 for children aged between six and 12. There will be a tourist guide on-board who will inform visitors about the significance of these places. Fares are likely to be finalised soon, officials said. While presenting the 2025-26 budget, chief minister Rekha Gupta had announced that her government would develop a new tourist circuit to cover the National War Memorial, Kartavya Path and the Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya.
