Meesho sees creator-led shopping boom as Content Commerce NMV rises 152 per cent

BENGALURU: Creator-led shopping is gaining ground beyond India’s biggest cities, with Meesho reporting a 152 per cent year-on-year growth in Net Merchandise Value (NMV) through its Content Commerce ecosystem over the last 12 months.

The platform said more than 1.6 lakh active creators participated in Content Commerce during the period, with around 90 per cent classified as nano creators with fewer than 10,000 followers. The ecosystem is also drawing significant participation from homemakers and young graduates, who together account for 70 per cent of the active creator base.

The trend is particularly strong outside India’s metros. Around 81 per cent of Meesho’s active Content Commerce creators are from non-metro India, while Tier 3 and Tier 4 cities such as Varanasi, Agartala, Jabalpur and Madurai accounted for 66 per cent of Content Commerce orders.

Nikita Dawda, general manager, Content Commerce, Meesho, said the company was seeing shopping journeys become increasingly discovery-led, with consumers using videos, recommendations and creators to understand products before purchasing.

She said Content Commerce NMV had grown 152 per cent year-on-year, supported by 1.6 lakh active creators, adding that the broad participation of nano creators, homemakers and young graduates was expanding the opportunity beyond established influencers.

Homemakers make up 40 per cent of Meesho’s active Content Commerce creator base, while young graduates account for 30 per cent, or around 50,000 creators. Around 78 per cent of active homemaker creators come from non-metro India.

The company said 25 per cent of its active Content Commerce creators are first-time creators, highlighting the role of the platform in bringing new participants into the creator economy.

Unlike models focused primarily on views or engagement, Meesho’s Content Commerce ecosystem links creator earnings to commerce outcomes. Creators earn commissions on orders generated through their content, giving them a direct financial incentive to drive product discovery and purchases.

Megha Bhagotra, a creator from Chandigarh with around 12,000 followers, said Meesho Creator Club had helped her turn content creation into her primary source of income while enabling brand collaborations and allowing her to build a career independently.

The model is also gaining traction among sellers, with more than 4 lakh sellers opting into Meesho’s Content Commerce ecosystem.

For smaller businesses that may not have the resources or expertise to build influencer networks independently, the platform provides access to a wider pool of creators. Sellers can use creator content to showcase products to relevant audiences, with the performance-linked model tying creator commissions to actual orders.

Creators can distribute content both on Meesho and across third-party social platforms, allowing product discovery to begin outside traditional search-led shopping journeys.

Short-form video is emerging as a key link between product discovery and purchase. Meesho’s Video Finds content surface recorded nearly 4,800 crore views and around 9,000 crore minutes of watch time over the last 12 months.

While women’s fashion remains the largest category for creator-led shopping, Meesho said content-led discovery is spreading across electronics, personal care, home products and other categories.

The company said video allows consumers to see products in real-world settings, understand their size, fit and features, and watch how they are used or styled before making a purchase decision.

With consumers, creators and sellers increasingly connected through content-led discovery, Meesho is positioning Content Commerce as a broader shift in how India shops online, particularly as smaller cities and first-time creators take a larger role in the digital commerce ecosystem.