India’s shopping journey is moving from search to scroll

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TL;DR:

India’s online shopping journey is shifting from search-led buying to discovery-led commerce, as creators, short-form content and social feeds increasingly influence what consumers consider and purchase. Gen Z and Tier 2+ India are accelerating the change.

Article:

India’s e-commerce journey is becoming less about typing a product into a search bar and more about discovering it while scrolling. Social feeds, creators and video are increasingly shaping purchase consideration, giving brands a chance to influence demand before consumers actively start shopping.

The timing matters because India’s online shopper base is expanding while its composition changes. Bain & Company estimates Indian e-retail reached $65–66 billion in gross merchandise value in 2025, with 290–300 million online shoppers. Gen Z now represents roughly 40–45% of e-retail shoppers, while Tier 2+ cities contributed about half of incremental e-retail orders in 2025.

That younger cohort behaves differently. Bain says Gen Z shoppers show a preference for “influencer-led trend discovery on social media”, alongside immersive video and feeds. The implication is significant: brands can no longer treat social media only as an awareness channel while reserving conversion for marketplaces or their own websites.

India has seen versions of this model developing for years through live commerce, creator recommendations and shoppable content. In an earlier assessment of live shopping, a senior fashion e-commerce executive said the format “allows shopping with trust” because shoppers can receive answers before purchasing.

The larger opportunity remains substantial. Bain estimates only about one-third of India’s chat and social-media users currently shop online, meaning much of the next wave of shoppers is already digitally active but has not yet converted into e-retail customers.

For marketers, that shifts the objective from simply capturing existing purchase intent to creating measurable paths from content to consideration and checkout. Social commerce will matter most where creator credibility, relevant recommendations and low-friction transactions turn attention into sales.