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Meta reveals how social media, creators and AI are changing festive shopping in India

By Freedom251 Team · · 6 min read

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Indian festive shopping is becoming an AI-assisted, social-first and increasingly conversational journey. A Meta-commissioned Ipsos study in 2025 found that more than 80% of festive shoppers used generative AI for gift ideas or inspiration, while creators, short-form video, personalised advertising and WhatsApp increasingly connect discovery to purchase.

Meta’s 2026 whitepaper with the Retailers Association of India (RAI) adds an omnichannel picture: shoppers move between feeds, chats, websites and physical stores rather than following a single online or offline path.

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Festive shopping now starts with inspiration, not a store visit

India’s festive shopping window is longer than Diwali alone. Meta describes it as running from July and August through New Year’s Eve, giving shoppers and retailers several waves of gifting, home upgrades, fashion purchases and celebrations.

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In the 2025 Meta-commissioned Ipsos study, over 80% of Indian festive shoppers said they had used generative AI to spark gift ideas or inspiration. AI is therefore entering the earliest part of the journey: helping someone decide what to buy before they search for a specific product, visit a marketplace or walk into a shop. The figure is a result from Meta’s commissioned study, not a census of every Indian shopper.

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AI inspiration does not eliminate human influence. It often produces a shortlist that is then checked through videos, creator opinions, reviews, conversations and store visits. That sequence explains why discovery and trust have shifted together.

How social platforms influence discovery, evaluation and purchase

Among festive shoppers surveyed in the 2025 Ipsos study, 65% used Meta platforms during the season. Meta attributed influence at three stages: 49% for discovery, 44% for evaluation and 39% for purchase. Separately, 77% said a personalised ad on Meta inspired their purchase.

These percentages describe the share of surveyed shoppers reporting influence at each stage; they are not a claim that Meta controls those proportions of all Indian retail transactions. They do show how a social feed can remain part of the journey after a shopper has moved from browsing to comparison and buying.

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Discovery format What it contributes Reported evidence Typical transaction path
Reels and other short-form video Demonstration, styling ideas and rapid product discovery 97% of consumers in the Meta/RAI 2026 whitepaper watch short-form video daily; 60% of Facebook and Instagram time is spent on video Video to product page, message or store visit
Creator posts and reviews Credibility, use cases and buying guidance Nearly half of festive shoppers follow influencers or creators; more than 30% use creator reviews or buying guides, according to the 2025 Ipsos study Recommendation to comparison, chat or checkout
Personalised ads Relevant reminders and product prompts 77% of surveyed festive shoppers said a personalised Meta ad inspired their purchase Ad to website, app, WhatsApp or store
WhatsApp conversations Questions, advice, availability checks and assisted buying Meta/RAI reports that 72% of product discovery happens on WhatsApp Chat to catalogue, payment or retail hand-off

Creators supply the trust that AI and ads cannot provide alone

Nearly half of festive shoppers in the Ipsos study followed influencers or creators, and over 30% relied on creator reviews and buying guides. A creator can show how a product looks in a real setting, explain trade-offs and answer the practical question an advertisement often leaves open: “Is this suitable for someone like me?”

Meta and RAI associate Reels-and-creator activity with a 71% higher brand-intent lift and 19% lower acquisition costs for retail brands. Those are reported associations in the 2026 whitepaper, not guaranteed results for every campaign, category or audience.

The audience is not uniform. A creator campaign may need different language, products and delivery promises for Gen Z shoppers, mothers, or customers in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Regional creators can make festive content relevant without assuming that one national trend represents every household.

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“Today, shoppers are turning to AI for inspiration, creators for credibility, and Reels for discovery,” said Arun Srinivas, Meta’s Managing Director and Country Head for India.

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Are Reels replacing search?

Reels are increasingly acting as a first product-discovery step, especially when the shopper is browsing for ideas rather than looking for a known model. Meta’s 2026 whitepaper says 77% of retail discovery happens on social media and that 96% of social discovery occurs on Meta platforms. These figures are Meta’s reported findings and should not be read as an independent measurement of every discovery channel in India.

Short video is suited to festive categories that benefit from visual proof: clothing combinations, décor, beauty routines, gifts, kitchen appliances and phones shown in use. A viewer can move from an inspirational clip to a creator explanation, a product page or a message without leaving the same mobile environment. Conventional search still matters when shoppers have a precise specification, price ceiling or brand in mind; social discovery is strongest earlier, when they are deciding what deserves consideration.

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WhatsApp turns product discovery into a conversation

WhatsApp addresses the uncertainty between seeing a product and committing to it. A shopper can ask about size, colour, delivery timing, stock, warranty or exchange policy, while a business can share a catalogue, answer follow-up questions and route the customer to payment or a nearby outlet.

Meta and RAI report that Business Messaging and Click-to-WhatsApp campaigns produced a 61% average return-on-ad-spend improvement, 62% more leads and 22% higher order values. The whitepaper presents these as reported campaign outcomes; performance will vary with implementation, category, geography and measurement method.

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“Leverage WhatsApp as a direct, personalized channel for customer interaction and commerce,” said Meghna Apparao, Meta’s Director of E-Commerce and Retail in India.

Why shoppers move between online and offline stores

The 2026 whitepaper describes an omnichannel journey rather than a contest between e-commerce and physical retail. More than half of consumers research online before buying in a store, and more than half research in a store before buying online. A shopper may discover a product in a Reel, inspect it in a showroom, ask a question on WhatsApp and complete the order through an app—or reverse that sequence.

Meta and RAI report that omnichannel shoppers spend 2.5 times more than single-channel shoppers. This is a reported comparison in the whitepaper, not a prediction that every customer who uses two channels will spend exactly 2.5 times as much.

Quick commerce is another part of the hybrid behaviour. The 2025 Ipsos study found that 45% of festive shoppers used quick-commerce apps for festival purchases; usage rose to 56% among respondents aged 25 to 34. The study does not establish that quick commerce replaced planned shopping, only that it was used alongside other options.

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Retailers therefore need inventory, pricing, promotions and customer service to agree across touchpoints. A social ad that promises a product unavailable in the nearest shop creates friction; a store visit that cannot honour an online offer loses the advantage of connected channels.

What the findings mean for retailers

  1. Design for AI-assisted inspiration. Product descriptions, bundles and gift guides should give shoppers useful inputs when they are still forming an idea, rather than assuming they already know a product name.
  2. Use creators for evidence, not just reach. Reviews, demonstrations, regional-language explainers and buying guides answer trust questions that polished advertising cannot.
  3. Build short-form video around decisions. Show fit, scale, setup, use and festive context so a Reel helps evaluation as well as awareness.
  4. Make WhatsApp operational. Staff, catalogues, stock data, response times and hand-offs to payment or stores must support the promise made in the ad.
  5. Measure the whole journey. Omnichannel reporting should connect online engagement with leads, order value and offline sales instead of crediting only the final click.

“Consumers no longer move between online and offline; they operate across both at once,” said Hitesh Bhatt, Director of Marketing and Communications at RAI.

The practical takeaway for shoppers

  • Use AI to generate options, then verify specifications, total cost, seller details and return terms.
  • Treat creator content as useful context, not proof that a product is best for every buyer; check independent reviews and the retailer’s policies.
  • When a Reel or personalised ad triggers interest, compare the offer across the brand’s site, marketplace, WhatsApp channel and local stores.
  • Ask direct questions in WhatsApp before paying when delivery dates, sizing, installation or warranty affect the decision.

Meta’s findings point to a festive market where inspiration, credibility and convenience are distributed across AI tools, creators, video, messaging and stores. The winning journey is not purely digital or physical: it is the one that lets a shopper move between them without losing information or trust.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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creatorsfestive shoppinggenerative AIIndiaMetaomnichannel retailReelssocial commerceWhatsApp

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