iWorld
Influence, inbox, impulse buy: Meta’s new-age retail mantra
MUMBAI: The good old kirana might still stand, but what’s driving shoppers to the shelf is now happening on screen. A new Meta-commissioned study by GWI has revealed just how deeply influencers, reels, and dms are reshaping retail habits across India.
According to the survey — conducted among 2,548 Indian internet users aged 16–64 — nearly eight in ten shoppers discover new products via social media, with a staggering 96 per cent of that discovery happening on Meta’s platforms, namely Facebook and Instagram.
“Indian shoppers today are social-first, mobile-first, and video-first irrespective of whether the purchase happens offline or online” said Meta India director, e-commerce & retail, Meghna Apparao, “With consumers increasingly relying on Reels, messaging, and influencer content to discover and evaluate products, offline retailers have an opportunity to reach their customers across multiple touch points simultaneously and harness the power of our platforms to build unique online and phygital experiences that also move metrics across the funnel.”
Even shoppers physically browsing aisles are scrolling first — using social media to discover, research, and decide, often before they even set foot in a store. Retail displays may still exist, but the real pitch now happens on feeds.
Short-form video is turning scrolls into sales. Around a third of users reported purchasing products they saw in 2–3 minute brand videos or reels, especially in premium and luxury categories, where visual storytelling has a strong influence.
Influencer clout continues to soar. Six in ten shoppers follow national influencers, whose opinions now weigh heavily on both what to buy and where to buy it from — online or offline. Their reach is no longer just virtual; it’s walking customers right into stores.
Meanwhile, WhatsApp is becoming the new storefront. Nearly 60 per cent of users said they are likely to purchase a product after seeing an offer on the messaging app — making it a silent but powerful sales channel.
In step with these shifts, Meta has launched new omnichannel advertising tools designed to bridge the digital-physical divide. These enable brands to not just chase clicks but track real-world impact — from boosted footfall to ringing tills.
Tanishq CMO Pelki Tshering said, “We’ve always believed in meeting our customers where they are — both online and offline. Meta’s solutions like Click to WhatsApp (CTWA) have helped us in that journey. By combining conversational commerce with tailored messaging, we’ve seen over 14x offline ROAS. What’s even more exciting is the potential of Meta’s omnichannel ads — allowing us to drive both online and in-store sales through a single, unified campaign. As one of the first to test the solution with offline CAPI, we’re seeing a 40% jump in ROAS for online purchases and an improvement in offline purchases. Meta’s retail solutions are helping us not just drive omni sales — but truly connect with our customers, wherever they are in their buying journey.”
Taneira head of marketing Aishwarya Omprakash, “In our pilot campaign utilising Meta’s omnichannel ads, we observed a significant boost in performance, achieving 3.5x higher purchase conversions and 4.3x higher Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) compared to campaigns optimized solely for purchases. This encouraging outcome reinforces the value of a multi-touchpoint strategy, and we’re excited to take this experiment further in the coming year.”
For Indian retailers, the message is clear: to win offline, think online first — especially if you’re not in the reel game yet.
iWorld
Why Peaky Blinders is one of television’s biggest hits that still deserves more attention
Six seasons, multiple awards and the release of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man bring the Shelby saga back into the spotlight
In the crowded universe of streaming content, only a handful of shows manage to leave a lasting cultural footprint. Peaky Blinders is overwhelmingly considered one of the biggest global hits of the past decade. Yet many viewers still haven’t fully explored the dark, gripping world of the Shelby family.
Originally produced for the UK’s BBC and later finding a massive global audience through Netflix, the series quietly grew from a British period drama into a worldwide streaming phenomenon.
Created by Steven Knight, the show follows the rise of the Shelby crime family in post-First World War Birmingham. What begins as a gritty street-gang story gradually expands into a sweeping narrative about ambition, politics, power and survival.
At the centre of the saga is Thomas Shelby, portrayed with extraordinary depth by Cillian Murphy. The casting of Murphy is widely regarded as perfect for the role. With piercing eyes, restrained dialogue and an almost hypnotic screen presence, he transforms Shelby into one of the most unforgettable characters in modern screen storytelling.
Murphy’s brilliance lies in his restraint. He rarely shouts or performs theatrically. Instead, a quiet stare, a calculated pause or a subtle shift in expression conveys the emotional storms within the character. Beneath the ruthless gang leader is a war veteran carrying trauma, guilt and loneliness. Murphy captures this complexity with remarkable precision, making Thomas Shelby both terrifying and deeply human.
Beyond its central performance, Peaky Blinders stands out for its unfiltered portrayal of reality. The show does not romanticise crime. Instead, it exposes the harsh social conditions of early 20th-century Britain, from poverty and class struggle to political extremism and the psychological scars left by war.
The series also presents powerful female characters who hold their own within the Shelby empire. Polly Gray, played by Helen McCrory, is the strategic backbone of the family and one of the most formidable figures in the story. Women in the series shape decisions, influence power structures and challenge the rigid social norms of the time.
Across six seasons, the narrative grows dramatically in scale. What begins in the smoky streets of Birmingham evolves into a story involving political conspiracies, fascism and international criminal networks.
The series has also earned significant critical acclaim. It won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series in 2018 and multiple National Television Awards for Best Drama, cementing its reputation as one of Britain’s most celebrated modern shows.
Another defining feature of the series is its iconic music. The show’s opening theme, Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, became instantly recognisable and widely associated with the Shelby universe. Combined with a powerful soundtrack featuring artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead, the music helped shape the show’s dark, stylish identity and became hugely popular among fans.
And the Shelby story is not over yet.
In fact, its legacy is unfolding right now. The long-awaited feature-length continuation, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, was released on March 6, 2026, bringing the Shelby universe from streaming screens to cinemas and giving fans a new chapter in the saga.
For viewers who have not yet stepped into this world, the timing could not be better.
Six gripping seasons are ready to binge on Netflix. A new film has just arrived in theatres. And at the heart of it all stands one of the most magnetic performances in modern drama by Cillian Murphy.
So if Peaky Blinders has been sitting on your watchlist for years, this weekend is your moment.
So, by order of the Peaky fookin’ Blinders, consider this your cue to finally step into the ruthless world of Thomas Shelby. Pour yourself a drink, clear your schedule and press the play button. Because when the Peaky Blinders give an order, you listen.
