: Social Commerce in India expected to grow by 45% by the end of 2022: WATConsult Report #IndiaNEWS #Report WATConsult has unveiled its second report of WATInsights Digital Commerce series which explores

Social Commerce in India expected to grow by 45% by the end of 2022: WATConsult Report #IndiaNEWS #Report
WATConsult has unveiled its second report of WATInsights Digital Commerce series which explores the consumers insights and sentiments towards shopping across social media platforms in India.

WATConsult from the house of dentsu India has released ‘Digital Commerce in India Social Commerce’, the second report of WATInsights – digital commerce series. The report by Recogn, WATConsult’s research division that provides consumer and business insights, explores the consumer sentiments and attitude towards using social media platforms for shopping.

Currently, there are 157 million social commerce shoppers, which is 53% of the total shoppers in India. This number is expected to grow at a rate of 45% to reach around 228 million by the end of 2022.

The combination of social media with digital commerce is seeing huge growth considering the benefit it brings to customers as well as businesses. For businesses, it brings cost-effectiveness and reach through digital marketing, as it connects them directly to their customers. At the same time, the recommendations and comments help customers make a buying decision. This ensures that products are offered at affordable prices with an ability to shop on the platform itself rather than switching to other e-commerce apps or websites.

As per the report, most consumers use social media apps like YouTube, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram to shop online. Apart from YouTube, the younger customers prefer to shop on Instagram and Facebook, while the older customers prefer to shop on Facebook and WhatsApp. Social commerce users are very likely to make online purchases from ShareChat in the future.

A large majority of these customers are thrilled with the concept of browsing through social media platforms and shopping at the same time. However, the shopping behavior varies between males and females. Most male shoppers scroll through social media without any intention of making a purchase and if they end up making one, its because the marketing campaign initiated by the brand has played a vital role in influencing the buyer. On the other hand, female shoppers specifically search for their preferable brand on the app to either know more about the product/service or to validate their final choice.

Also read: Report: Micro-Influencers hold maximum brand deals but Nano-influencers get higher median engagement

Social commerce is becoming popular as more and more Indian customers are moving online and discovering newer ways of shopping. Moreover, it includes a range of immersive shopping experiences, wherein consumers can buy customized products/services without switching apps.