Meta announced on May 13 that India’s e-commerce landscape is experiencing significant changes, driven by artificial intelligence, short-form video, and conversational messaging. These developments were discussed during the 2026 Meta Marketing Summit E-Commerce edition held in Bangalore and Mumbai, which brought together e-commerce leaders from across the country.
According to Meta, shopping habits are shifting from traditional search-and-buy models to a discovery-driven approach powered by AI recommendations and video content. Meghna Apparao, Director of E-commerce & Retail at Meta (India), said: “India has no off-season for shopping anymore. Quick commerce and micro-festive moments have turned shopping into a permanent state – not an event, but a reflex. The journey has shifted from search-and-buy to discover-and-feel, driven by AI recommendations, short-form video, and conversational messaging. For brands, the mandate is simple: if you are not always on, you are already behind. With AI-powered tools and products such as Partnership Ads, GenAI-powered creative, and shoppable Reels, we’re helping businesses of all sizes turn that moment of inspiration into a transaction – faster, smarter, and at scale.”
Meta highlighted several recent product updates designed to help businesses adapt to these trends. Marketers can now use AI tools that automatically include products from brand catalogs in ad carousels when likely to improve performance. Other features include user-generated content-style videos with avatars and voiceovers as well as translation capabilities for both audio voiceovers and text overlays.
Short-form video was described as a key force in transforming how Indian consumers discover products online. Arpan Biswas of Ajio said: “Adopting Catalog Product Video as a business-as-usual strategy has embedded video-led discovery into our always-on media approach, driving approximately 20% higher efficiency.” Khushboo Baderiya of Myntra added: “While we have historically used third-party tools to create Catalog Product Video templates, we are now excited to test the GENCPV templates available on Meta to further enhance our video-first discovery.” Manoj Jain of Reliance Digital commented: “Reliance Digital has embraced a Reels-forward strategy… enabling authentic connections that resonate with diverse communities… making Meta an important pillar in our marketing strategy.”
The summit also addressed the rise of paid messaging platforms like WhatsApp in bridging product discovery with purchase transactions. According to research cited by Meta during the event’s discussions with the Retailers Association of India (RAI), retailers saw notable improvements using WhatsApp for commerce—reporting an average return on ad spend increase of 61%, leads generated up by 62%, and nearly 60% likelihood for users buying after seeing offers via WhatsApp.
As artificial intelligence innovations combine with growing use of short-form videos and conversational messaging platforms among Indian shoppers and brands alike, industry leaders expect continued transformation ahead for digital commerce throughout India.
