E-commerce company Meesho reported that the Net Merchandise Value (NMV) within its Content Commerce ecosystem increased by 152% compared to last year. This growth was driven by over 160 thousand active creators in India over the past 12 months.
This growth reflects a broader trend in changing consumer purchasing behavior in non-metropolitan regions of India. Purchases are no longer always initiated by the intent to find a specific product; consumers are also seeking inspiration, reviewing recommendations, and discovering items while browsing, with short videos and creator content adding further context to this process.
Nikita Davda, General Manager of Content Commerce at Meesho, noted that 'purchase journeys are increasingly becoming discovery-oriented as consumers turn to videos, recommendations, and creators to understand a product before making a purchase.'
Video content helps bring products to life, allowing buyers to see how an item looks in a real setting, assess its size, fit, or features, and watch how someone else uses or styles it before deciding to buy. The combination of discovery and demonstration allows Content Commerce to more intuitively guide the consumer from product discovery to evaluation and purchase decision.
Meesho emphasized that India is central to this participation. Approximately 90% of Meesho's active Content Commerce creators are nano-creators, and 81% of them hail from regions in India outside of major metropolitan areas. Tier III and IV markets, such as Varanasi, Agartala, Jabalpur, and Madurai, accounted for 66% of Content Commerce orders, demonstrating the significant role of small towns and villages in creator-driven trade.
Content Commerce is expanding participation in India's creator economy. Among Meesho's active Content Commerce creators, 40% are homemakers and 30% are young graduates, totaling about 50 thousand creators. Since most of these creators come from smaller settlements, the ecosystem is broadening engagement in the creator economy beyond well-known influencers and opening content-driven commerce to a larger segment of the Indian population.
Mega Bhagotra, a content creator from Chandigarh, shared her experience: 'Over the past year, Meesho Creator Club has allowed me to turn my passion into a primary source of income while building a significantly growing community. This path has also opened doors for brand collaborations.'