Meta and RAI whitepaper decodes India’s omnichannel retail shift

India’s retail story is no longer about online versus offline. It is about consumers moving across both at the same time. A new whitepaper by Meta in collaboration with the Retailers Association of India lays out how AI, creators, short-form video and messaging are reshaping how Indians discover and buy products.

The big shift is from search to scroll. The report notes that 77 percent of retail discovery now happens on social media, with Meta platforms driving the bulk of that. Short-form video dominates attention, and creator-led content is increasingly influencing trust and accelerating purchase decisions.


At the same time, omnichannel shoppers are proving far more valuable. Consumers who shop across channels spend 2.5 times more than single-channel buyers. More than half research online before buying in-store, and vice versa, underlining how fluid the journey has become.

The report also highlights how AI-led tools such as Omnichannel Optimization and Conversions API are helping retailers connect digital campaigns to in-store sales, with several reporting significant improvements in return on ad spend and incremental revenue.

Then there is WhatsApp. Messaging is no longer just support. With 72 percent of product discovery happening on the platform and strong gains reported from Click-to-WhatsApp campaigns, conversational commerce is quickly becoming a serious growth lever.

The takeaway is clear. For Indian retail, the competitive edge will not come from choosing digital or physical. It will come from stitching them together intelligently.