Instagram Reels dominates beauty purchases in India

More than 80% of the surveyed consumers find beauty products online, highlighting the impact of social media on beauty product purchasing in India. In fact, Meta's Facebook and Instagram lead beauty product searches, as reported by nine out of 10 consumers surveyed by consumer research platform GWI.

Instagram Reels play a vital role in purchasing decisions: 47% of consumers revealed that they discovered beauty products through this feature. Notably, one in three beauty consumers surveyed made purchases through Instagram Reels, according to the Meta GWI Beauty Report 2023, commissioned by Meta. Data for fashion purchases has also been released by Meta.

More than 2,000 consumers between the ages of 6 and 64 from 74 cities participated in the survey in June. On Monday, Meta published two separate reports charting consumer behavior for beauty and fashion categories.

Covid, in general, has pushed more consumers to buy products online, but in the case of beauty and personal care categories, specifically, the widespread access of online marketplaces and the emergence of newer brands has increased demand for these products.

There has been a significant shift in consumer preferences post-pandemic: 68% of beauty shoppers now prefer to shop online, a notable 15% increase from pre-pandemic levels. In particular, the report revealed that 80% of them discover beauty brands on social media, and 92% find them on meta platforms, including 47% on Instagram Reels. In fact, nearly a third of the survey respondents said they bought beauty products online every week.

“The beauty and fashion verticals are growing rapidly on Meta, with an increasing number of advertisers using Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp to engage with customers. “Social media has transformed the shopping experience and journey of these industries, creating an urgent need for brands and marketers to engage with consumers differently, especially during the off-season. current holidays and the upcoming wedding season,” Meghna Apparao, Head, E-Commerce & Retail, at Meta in India Along with Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, Meta dominates the way consumers shop or share information: In September, about 3.14 billion people used at least one Meta app on a daily basis.

Social media platforms, with their bite-sized content, have come to influence the retail landscape globally as they help consumers make decisions before buying a product, whether online or offline. Influencers, who are paid to test new products and brands, greatly influence the purchasing decisions of millions of consumers who spend hours browsing Meta's various social media apps.

“Consumer interest in content created by influencers has grown dramatically. Despite the rise of content and creators around the world, Indian consumers rely on Indian creators for authentic information and reviews. According to the study findings, “The data showed that 7 out of 10 viewers of beauty content and 2 of Every 3 fashion content viewers watch Indian influencers, which has a huge impact on their purchasing decisions.”

The study showed that a lack of reviews is no less dangerous than negative reviews, which underscores the importance of influencers.

Meanwhile, when it comes to fashion consumers, 76% said they discovered fashion brands on social media, with 97% discovering them through Meta platforms, and 52% credit it to Instagram Reels. Notably, 39% proceeded to purchase after finding them on Reels.

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