India’s e-commerce boom: Gen Z, small towns and self-care trends on the rise, says Meesho

According to Meatthe latest Smart Shopper Report Generation Z It is accepted quickly e-commercewith one in three Meesho users being under 25 years of age. This makes them the fastest growing demographic on the platform. The report also highlights that mass consumers, who tend to shop at low prices, make up around 80% of the total online shopping population in India. The reports suggest that by 2030, mass consumers, who are constantly looking for value for money, will dominate the retail market, accounting for 65% of the total number of consumers.

Currently, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are leading the way in increasing the number of e-commerce users, highlighting the significant untapped potential in these states.

The report also delves into the evolving habits and preferences of mass consumers. Meesho noted that users from Tier IV and smaller cities are the most repeat customers in categories like women’s fashion, footwear, and baby care.

Moreover, over 80% of Indian online shoppers now come from second-tier and non-tier cities, which include Ambur, Rourkela, Sangli and Zirakpur, among others.

Powered by influencers e-commerce boom in the north-east

The report further reveals that customers in northeastern Indian states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim are increasingly basing their e-commerce purchasing decisions on influencer-generated content, accounting for as much as 40% of all orders from these states.

Meesho has also witnessed greater digital integration, with a growing number of content creators emerging from the most remote regions of India, such as Bazpur (Uttarakhand), Kotputli (Rajasthan), and Pakyong (Sikkim). With the rise in popularity of content creators, products such as selfie sticks, ring lights, microphones, and tripods have also quickly made it to the top of the electronics category.

Another notable feature that Meesho identified was a significant increase in the adoption of native languages ​​and voice search, with the rates increasing by 162% and 40% respectively. This growth reflects the strong preference of mass consumers for regional languages ​​and user-friendly features.

Second- and smaller-tier cities have significantly outpaced first-tier cities in terms of ordering electronic accessories – the number of purchases made by them is twice as high as in larger cities.

Meesho has also seen significant demand for products like Bluetooth earphones, power banks, smart speakers, screen magnifiers, and keyboards across various cities in India like Alwar (Rajasthan), Bettiah (Bihar), Pursurah (West Bengal), Rajahmundry (Andhra Pradesh), Sindheda (Maharashtra), and Sirsa (Haryana).

The fastest growing categories on Meesho include books, which saw a 148% YoY increase in sales, office supplies and writing supplies (up 137% YoY), DIY (up 112% YoY), furnishings (up 92% YoY) and pet supplies (up 68% YoY). There was also a surge in demand for personal care and grooming items.

Moving towards fast draping

In just six months, over 10 lakh saree shapers and over 60 lakh ready-to-wear sarees were sold, indicating that consumers were clearly preferring a quicker and easier approach to traditional draping. There was a clear preference for both traditional and modern, as Banarasi was the most sought-after fabric, followed by chiffon and organza.

Self-care is becoming more and more important

With increasingly hectic schedules, mass consumers are also prioritizing self-care. As a result, there has been a rise in at-home salon treatments, with Meesho reporting sales of 6,00,000 face masks, over 4,00,000 facial kits, 3,00,000 wax strips, 4,00,000 nail strips, and 4,00,000 nail polishes this year.

Not only that, yoga also made it to the list when it comes to self-care. Meesho reported that it sold around 20 lakh yoga mats in just 6 months. And not just that, jumping rope and hula hoops also seem to be coming back into fashion, with consumers buying around 2 lakh jump ropes and 75,000 hula hoops this year alone.

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