Shweta Bajpai, Meta on how social media is shaping India’s consumer behaviour

Starting off #SMLive 2023, Meta’s Shweta Bajpai joins us on a fireside chat where she shares insights into the changing content consumption behaviour in the digital age and the mediums that are shaping the future of social media.

As the internet celebrates the power of social media on World Social Media Day, Social Samosa with its 7th edition of #SMLive kicks off the day with Shweta Bajpai, Director, Fin-Serv, Media & Travel at Meta as she shares her observations about the influence of social media, the changing content consumption patterns following COVID-19 and the trends that will shape the future.

Revamping social media strategy post-pandemic

Remembering COVID as a watershed moment for many, Bajpai dives into how everyone, across industries, had to revamp their social media strategy.

She mentions how the travel industry, being the one to take the biggest hits during the pandemic, had to evolve its consumer communication tactics.

With new terms like 'financial influencer' being introduced and the rise in short-form videos and OTT content, Indian consumers tend to make decisions based on what social media is communicating.

"The Indian consumer is really spoilt for choice when it comes to products for consumption, and they are making the use of social media as a medium to discover what to consume," Bajpai continues.

She highlights that the last year has really democratized the way social media is used for marketing from how it first began during COVID.

Also Read: Takeaways from #SMLive 2023

Changing Consumer Demographic 

Meta recently released a report named 'Seeing the Big Picture - Harnessing digital to drive M&E growth' with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) which talks about the digital influence in content discovery, sharing, and engagement both before and after viewing content.

One of the key findings from the report shows that the purchasing cycle of consumers is evolving and going digital-first and vernacular-first. Bajpai notes that when it came to OTT consumption, women have been showing content patterns similar to men with the former taking 77% share while the latter spending 78%. 

She further elaborates saying, “People from the smaller towns are generating similar trends as to what we see in the urban cities across demographics, and it's interesting to see if the internet is becoming truly democratic.” 

Bajpai mentions that people are far more attuned to making purchasing decisions, including investment decisions, if it’s communicated to them via reels and digital platforms, even for linear TV. She highlights that it is high time for linear TV, OTT and movie companies to leverage the power of social media to reach new consumers. 

Trends shaping the way ahead

• Reels 
• Messaging
• Generative AI

While talking about the larger trends in the social media segment, Bajpai mentions that consumers’ attention span has reduced and no one wants to watch three to five-minute-long videos. 

Going back to an insight from the Meta report, she says, “77% of consumers ended up watching the product after watching a reel about it.” This is why, she says that reels will be a big part of what social media marketing will look like in the near future. 

When it comes to how messaging as a marketing medium will shape the future, she notes that WhatsApp is a great tool for reaching consumers and giving them reminders, information on offers, new launches and more. 

Citing a survey, Bajpai observes that 70% of adults that are online actually prefer messaging solutions as a way to interact with a business. She believes, “Any product with a long-term purchase cycle is best served on a conversational medium.”

Concluding the conversation with the talk of the town which is generative AI, Bajpai says, “The possibility of harnessing all the knowledge available about marketing to build the right kind of services would be every marketer’s dream come true.”

Shweta Bajpai, Director, Fin-Serv, Media & Travel at Meta shared her thoughts at the 7th edition of #SMLive, Social Samosa’s marquee annual conference, organized on World Social Media Day.