Meta study finds Reels shaping discovery and shopping in India

MUMBAI: A scroll here, a swipe there and somewhere between a dance clip and a travel reel, a purchase decision is already taking shape. Video has become India’s digital heartbeat, and Meta’s latest commissioned study suggests Reels are increasingly setting the rhythm. Conducted by IPSOS across 23 metro, Tier 2, Tier 3 and rural locations, the study surveyed more than 4,000 people and found that an overwhelming 97 per cent of users watch videos on Meta platforms every day.

The appetite for video appears nearly universal. Daily video engagement stood at 98 per cent among urban users and 94 per cent among rural audiences, while Gen Z users and women both recorded 97 per cent daily engagement. Among NCCS A consumers, the figure climbed to 98 per cent.

At the centre of this viewing boom is Reels. According to the study, 89 per cent of Gen Z respondents use Reels daily, alongside 85 per cent of women and 88 per cent of NCCS A audiences.

But Reels are proving to be more than just a destination for entertainment. The format is increasingly functioning as a discovery engine for brands, creators and communities. Among Gen Z respondents, 84 per cent said they discover new products and brands through Meta platforms, while 73 per cent of rural users reported using the platforms for brand and product discovery.

Beauty, fashion, lifestyle, fitness, travel, sports and comedy emerged as some of the most engaging content categories, reflecting the broadening role of short-form video in everyday digital consumption.

The study also found that creator engagement on Reels was nearly 60 per cent higher than on other surveyed short-form video platforms, underscoring the growing influence creators wield over trends, conversations and consumer choices.

That influence appears to extend well beyond awareness. Reels were found to contribute to 81 per cent of product discovery, 66 per cent of consideration and 47 per cent of purchase influence among surveyed users, highlighting the platform’s growing role across the consumer decision-making journey.

The effect is visible across categories too. In financial services, 76 per cent of surveyed rural users engaged with Meta daily, while 54 per cent of women who own financial products said they interact with creators on Meta every day. The automotive sector also showed engagement across discovery, consideration and purchase stages.

The findings point to a broader shift in India’s digital landscape, where entertainment, influence and commerce are increasingly converging on a single screen. What begins as a casual scroll is rapidly becoming a shopping aisle, recommendation engine and brand touchpoint rolled into one.

For marketers, the message is becoming harder to ignore, in India’s video-first economy, the path from content to commerce may now be just one reel away.