iWorld
COVID-19 crisis changes internet user behaviour
MUMBAI: There has been a palpable shift in data traffic and internet user behaviour since COVID-19 hit the globe, particularly in India, with all its public measures in the fight against the pandemic, according to leading carrier and data centre neutral internet exchange operator on the Indian sub-continent DE-CIX India.
DE-CIX India has seen an increase in overall data traffic of more than 20 per cent compared to the time before COVID-19 (end of February 2020). Also, with social distancing and the increasing adoption of the work-from-home system, networks are facing challenges, since the entire business internet traffic has shifted from business districts into residential areas. This increased the use of collaboration tools. Furthermore, online video streaming has increased by 120 per cent, and gaming by more than 80 per cent. Data traffic and internet usage during peak hours increased to new levels, with a 38 per cent increase in ISP traffic.
“People face the challenge to act almost 100 per cent online: private, business-wise, and regarding the education of children and students. In times when everyone has to practice social distancing and perhaps self-isolate, a direct connection to family, friends, and the company environment via the various private and business applications is essential. These applications and the exchange of data must run smoothly, so trust in technology is a big issue. DE-CIX ensures with its infrastructure that people can rely on the applications now required in the desired smooth and resilient quality. We make sure that even though we are physically locked, we are still digitally unlocked,” said DE-CIX International CEO Ivo Ivanov.
He further added: “Homes have turned into offices. The digital shift as a consequence of an increased demand for internet access and the related increase in data traffic now also makes evident the significance of digital infrastructures as the backbone of world economies. We are seeing the increase in capacities with the major global and regional internet and content providers. In some cases, the capacities have been more than doubled. Governments and businesses also need to support the implementation of reliable high bandwidth internet access with a proper framework and judicious investments to ensure the smooth functioning of digital business that currently drives the economy. This includes the deployment of better and bigger pipes to cover the demand arising out of the usage of digital applications – both private and business.”
DE-CIX India operates digital infrastructure with fibre optic cables, which ensures a secure, resilient and smooth interconnection between connected networks; it takes on the neutral role of a “data intermediary”. Through its four markets in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai, it provides direct interconnection ensuring that the quality of applications remains stable and internet service providers can thus guarantee the resilience of their networks and the provision of a high quality internet access for their users.
iWorld
WhatsApp emerges as key commerce channel in India: Meta report
Whitepaper shows 77 per cent of purchases influenced by social media and shoppers spend 2.5 times more across channels
MUMBAI: If shopping once meant a stroll down the high street, today it begins with a scroll on a smartphone. India’s retail journey is being rewritten in real time, as consumers glide between Instagram Reels, WhatsApp chats and physical stores with barely a pause for thought. A new whitepaper by Meta in collaboration with the Retailers Association of India argues that this shift is not cosmetic but structural, powered by artificial intelligence, short form video, creators and conversational commerce.
The numbers underline the scale of the change.
Social media now influences 77 per cent of retail purchase decisions in India, with Meta’s platforms accounting for 96 per cent of social driven discovery. Discovery itself is increasingly passive and visual rather than deliberate and search led. As much as 97 per cent of consumers watch short form video daily, and 60 per cent of time spent on Facebook and Instagram is devoted to video content.
In other words, the shop window has moved to the feed.
The report highlights the growing dominance of the omnichannel shopper, a consumer who researches and buys fluidly across online and offline environments. More than 50 per cent of retail consumers research products online before purchasing in store. Equally, over 50 per cent browse in store before completing their purchase online.
This blended behaviour is lucrative. Shoppers who buy across channels spend 2.5 times more than single channel shoppers. When customers engage across multiple touchpoints, spending rises by as much as 73 per cent. For retailers, unified commerce is no longer a strategy slide. It is a revenue imperative.
Meta India director of E commerce and retail Meghna Apparao, urged brands to focus on three pillars: Reels and creators for authentic storytelling, omnichannel performance marketing to connect platforms, and WhatsApp as a personalised commerce channel. Hitesh Bhatt of RAI noted that the challenge is no longer adopting digital tools but integrating them to deliver measurable outcomes.
Artificial intelligence sits at the heart of this integration. Indian retailers using Meta’s omnichannel optimisation have recorded more than fourfold improvements in omnichannel return on ad spend. Businesses that integrated in store sales data through Meta’s Conversions API have reported Roas uplift ranging from 2 times to 5 times or more, alongside incremental sales growth of up to 9 times depending on category and market.
Integrated data strategies have also delivered revenue growth of up to 15 per cent, suggesting that when digital signals are tied to offline outcomes, marketing efficiency sharpens considerably.
Retailers are already putting this into practice. Reliance Digital has leaned into a Reels first strategy, working with regional creators to drive engagement and measurable business impact. Croma says Meta’s AI powered tools have enabled it to integrate offline data and activate performance marketing across touchpoints, strengthening both footfall and revenue across online and physical stores.
Trust is increasingly creator led. The report finds that 71 per cent of consumers make a purchase within a couple of days of seeing creator content on Meta’s technologies. Campaigns that leverage reels and creators have delivered 71 per cent higher brand intent lift and 19 per cent lower acquisition costs.
Micro and nano creators, in particular, are accelerating purchase decisions by embedding products into relatable, local narratives. Influence is no longer confined to celebrity endorsements. It is distributed, conversational and continuous.
If Instagram and Facebook drive discovery, WhatsApp is emerging as the conversion engine. According to the report, 72 per cent of product discovery now happens on WhatsApp. Retailers using business messaging and click to WhatsApp campaigns are seeing a 61 per cent average improvement in return on ad spend, a 62 per cent increase in leads and 22 per cent higher order values.
The implication is clear. Commerce is shifting from clicks to conversations. Discovery, purchase and post purchase support increasingly unfold within a single chat thread.
The whitepaper argues that omnichannel maturity will define competitiveness in Indian retail. Consumers no longer toggle between online and offline modes. They operate across both simultaneously, often within the same buying journey.
For brands, the task is no longer about being present on digital platforms. It is about stitching together discovery, data, conversation and store experience into a unified loop that can be measured in footfall, revenue and repeat purchase.
As India’s shoppers continue to scroll before they stroll, the retailers who align AI, creators and messaging into one seamless experience may find that the path to growth is less about adding new channels and more about connecting the ones they already have.
