iWorld
2016’s top moments on Facebook
MUMBAI: Each year, Facebook reviews the moments, events and trends that people shared and talked most about. Today, we’re excited to share those top moments from 2016. The top moments represents most talked about, shared and discussed topics that dominated the year that went by.
The methodology to determine the top trenders is simple. The top 10 moments of this year’s Year in Review were measured by how frequently a topic was mentioned in Facebook posts made between 1 January and 27 November, 2016. To put this list together, mentions were analyzed in an aggregated, ‘anonymised’ way and then ranked to create a snapshot of the year on Facebook. The top 10 Live videos were measured by total cumulative views.
While across the world, US Presidential Election, Brazil’s politics and Pokemon Go ruled conversations, in India, things were mostly festive this year with the top trending topic in the country being ‘Diwali’ followed by what Indian follow religiously ‘Cricket’. Uri Attacks and surgical strikes were the third most talked about topic on FB, given its grave significance, in the backdrop of the current nationalistic wave. Here is the full list.
Top 10 most talked about topics from India in 2016 on Facebook:
1. Diwali
2. Cricket
3. Uri attacks and surgical attacks
4. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Movie)
5. Hardwell (India Tour)
6. Priyanka Chopra
7. Rio Olympics
8. Pokemon Go
9. Pathankot
10. iPhone 7 launch
Global Top Moments on Facebook
1. US Presidential Election
2. Brazilian Politics
3. Pokemon Go
4. Black Lives Matter
5. Rodrigo Duterte & Philippine Presidential Election
6. Olympics
7. Brexit
8. Super Bowl
9. David Bowie
10. Muhammad Ali
This year was also the first time Facebook had introduced its live video options, and thus the top live videos warrant its own list.
Top 10 live videos on Facebook from India:
https://www.facebook.com/ajaz.qamer/videos/1769859169954467/
https://www.facebook.com/sonakshisinhaofficial/videos/10154155457904701/
https://www.facebook.com/AmitabhBachchan/videos/1440239589343159/
https://www.facebook.com/IamSRK/videos/1660059270686996/
https://www.facebook.com/aajtak/videos/10154902993692580/
https://www.facebook.com/KajolDevgan/videos/1756974501230484/
https://www.facebook.com/BollywoodTabloidOfficial/videos/1183974758358529/
https://www.facebook.com/aajtak/videos/10154980331897580/
https://www.facebook.com/AAPkaArvind/videos/1129804343783728/
https://www.facebook.com/AjayDevgn/videos/1067612059943103/
Top 10 global live videos:
1. Candace Payne, Chewbacca Mom
2. Ted Yoder, Soundscapes
3. Buzzfeed, Countdown to the next presidential election
4. Atlanta Buzz, People are lining up to hug police officers in Dallas
5. NBC News, Election results
6. Under the Hood, Video of a truck completely carved out of wood
7. Viral Thread, Population count from US to CA
8. CNN, Election results on Empire State building
9. Dena Blizzard, Pokemon Go for moms ”Chardonnay Go”
10. Super Deluxe, Election map
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.
