Beyond Social: How video is now shaping discovery, trust & purchase

For years, India’s digital marketing playbook has revolved around either the polished, lifestyle-led storytelling of Instagram and Facebook, or the transactional, performance-heavy funnel of e-commerce platforms. But interestingly, that divide now seems to be blurring. 

Amazon’s video advertising ecosystem too has evolved into a full-funnel engine, and spans across Prime Video ads, MX Player inventory, Sponsored TV, Amazon Live, Sponsored Brand Videos, and online video ads. Brands now use Amazon’s content-rich environments to drive awareness, creator-led formats to build consideration, and shoppable video placements to push conversions.

“Video is now a core part of our full-funnel offering—Prime Video and MX Player help brands build awareness alongside premium content, while Sponsored Brand Videos and online video ads drive consideration right where customers browse and shop,” an Amazon spokesperson told e4m. "Many of the brands that work with us want to drive business outcomes beyond Amazon. For example, they want to generate sales on their own website, sign- ups to their mailing list, or bookings for their hotel rooms. Amazon Ads can help brands understand how their full-funnel campaigns can deliver off Amazon events by Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC)."

In the last 18-24 months, video, which was once treated as a social-first entertainment format, is becoming the default language of decision-making. It is spilling beyond traditional social media into professional networks, product discovery engines, and even commerce ecosystems.

Why Indian e-commerce is becoming a media business? Read here 

Today, the consumer doesn't just scroll through Reels or watch a short video on Facebook. The same person is now watching expert explainers on LinkedIn in the morning, and relying on creator-driven try-ons on Myntra or Amazon in the afternoon. Social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook are no longer the only video-first environments. Platforms that were never traditionally associated with video, especially LinkedIn and Myntra, are now redefining video in their own ways. And this is not just an observation. 

For context, Abhishek Shrivastava, VP of Product Management at LinkedIn, in a recent interaction with exchange4media shared, “Video is not just for entertainment platforms anymore — professionals are using it for learning, trust-building, and understanding products deeply. We’re seeing an excellent uptake in video. Video engagement is going up year-over-year in a tremendous fashion, and video creation on the platform is also growing rapidly. Millennials and Gen Z professionals are becoming decision-makers, and video is the language they prefer. Video is the language of the internet today.”

Are video ads influencing purchase decisions? Read e4m report

Similarly, Myntra’s growing creator ecosystem shows how video is collapsing the gap between discovery and purchase, “With 3.5 million creators and 9 billion monthly impressions, video-led discovery contributes nearly 10% to Myntra’s overall revenue,” the company had said in a recent release.

To understand this shift more deeply, we spoke with several marketing leaders, brands and experts to decode how video has gone beyond traditional platforms, and how brand storytelling now differs across LinkedIn, Myntra, Instagram and more.

Why Video Has Become So Powerful Beyond Entertainment Platforms

As video spills into platforms that were never originally built around it, its role is shifting from pure entertainment to becoming the primary medium of discovery, evaluation and conversion. Sairam Ranganathan, Head of Commerce, WPP Media India, explains that video’s power stems from its ability to fulfil completely different objectives across ecosystems. “Yes, the consumer response is different for ecommerce video vs social media video vs professional network video,” he says. “The objectives are different, hence it is not correct to compare these.” On social media, video delivers cheap and wide reach, with the lowest cost per thousand impressions. On e-commerce, it becomes a high-intent evaluation tool. On professional platforms, it evolves into a trust-building and authority-building format.

Read e4m report on Karan Bedi saying video ad spends will match TV by 2026  

This diversity is exactly why video is now indispensable. “Whether it is the 360° view, unbox, catwalk videos or product demos, video reduces friction, assists selection, improves trust and even reduces returns,” Ranganathan explained. And because commerce platforms today hold deep consumer behaviour data, they have quietly become powerful discovery engines. “The consumer journey is no longer linear,” he added. “With more consumer data and platform insights, marketers’ ability to tell stories has evolved in the last 3-4 years.” For many brands, the question now is no longer why video, but how to use video across commerce to create demand and convert demand.

This shift becomes clearer when you examine how video functions across platforms, for instance on LinkedIn, it enables expertise-led storytelling and trust-building; on Myntra and Amazon, it acts as a demonstration and validation tool that collapses discovery and purchase into a single moment; and on Instagram, it drives cultural relevance, aspiration and emotion. In essence, video adapts to the mindset of the user, professional, casual or commerce-driven, making it the only format that can travel with the consumer throughout their day.

“Platforms like Amazon and Myntra use short product videos to show real usage and highlight key features, which builds trust and speeds up decision-making. Influencer try-ons, live shopping feeds and review videos create social proof that nudges users closer to purchase,” said Rohan Chincholi, Chief Digital Officer, Havas Media India.

This shift reinforces how video has become a default evaluation tool across the buying journey, not just a discovery format.

Adding to this, Krishna Iyer, Director of Marketing at MullenLowe Lintas Group, said, “Video wins because it compresses information, emotion, and intent into an intuitive format for today’s attention-short audience. Professional networks now reward video because it communicates trust quickly.”

Abhirup Datta, CEO, Performance Practice Media Solutions, dentsu India & CEO, Sokrati India, highlighted the cognitive advantage video brings across contexts. He said,“Video combines visual storytelling, auditory cues and human connection. It builds trust and reduces cognitive load, even in transactional or hyperlocal contexts.”

Datta added, for e-commerce players like Amazon and Myntra, video is a critical tool for influencing purchase behavior and driving conversions. Here, video's strength lies in its "shoppability" – showcasing products in real-world scenarios, offering detailed demonstrations, unboxing experiences, and even virtual try-ons. Live commerce, in particular, combines entertainment with immediate transactional opportunities, fostering a sense of urgency and community. 

How Brand Storytelling Is Evolving Across Platforms

Now, with video becoming the default format across social, professional and commerce ecosystems, brands are realising that storytelling can no longer be universal. The same consumer might watch a 20-second outfit try-on on Myntra, a polished brand film on Instagram, and a product-depth explainer on LinkedIn, but their intent, mindset and expectations shift dramatically across these platforms. This is forcing brands to rethink not just the content, but the purpose and structure of every video they create.

An Amazon spokesperson said: “Video advertising has traditionally been costly and complex, which kept many small businesses out. With our new AI-powered Video Generator, brands of all sizes can now create high-quality motion shots and video creatives in minutes.”

Brands across sectors are actively moving away from uniform creative systems. Zydus Wellness, for instance, has seen this shift play out sharply across its portfolio spanning skincare, functional foods and health-focused snacking. For the company, video has become a translation tool for complex nutritional information rather than a mere social format. 

A Zydus spokesperson told exchange4media, “For nutrition and wellness, video helps convert scientific concepts into relatable insights. Audiences are seeking clarity and a credible expert voice.” 

Long-form educational content performs strongest on platforms like YouTube and LinkedIn, where professionals look for depth and credible expertise. On commerce and q-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Blinkit, Zepto and Myntra, the brand shifts to short, benefits-driven videos that simplify decision-making at the point of purchase. Meanwhile, on Instagram and YouTube Shorts, the brand focuses on content designed for fast discovery, everyday utility and rapid engagement. Its video strategy is no longer about cross-posting but about adapting storytelling to the specific mindset and intent of each platform.

For brands like Clovia, the evolution of video storytelling has been closely tied to understanding how women browse, shop, and evaluate products differently across platforms. On Instagram, Clovia leans into confidence-driven content that blends humour, body-positivity and everyday wardrobe moments, because that’s where discovery and impulse nudges happen. But on LinkedIn, the brand shifts into a more narrative-led format, talking about tech-enabled manufacturing, inclusive sizing, and how data informs product innovation, to appeal to professionals and industry observers. On Myntra, Clovia focusses on utility-first videos that spotlight fit, fabric, and styling cues because shoppers there seek clarity before purchase. 

Sleep-solutions brand Peps says video has become its most effective tool for simplifying a category where consumers often feel overwhelmed by jargon and technical details. Renuka Jaypal, Brand & Marketing consultant, Peps Industries, stated, “What is new is how customers consume content today, with endless platforms at their fingertips. Smart brands know how to use these platforms well, and great brands never forget that customers are there for news, information, or entertainment - not the brand. So they craft authentic, truly engaging stories that make their presence a welcome, noticeable part of the experience.”

According to Rajeswar Rao, VP- B2C, Clovia, “Our video storytelling has become more targeted and performance-driven over time. While Meta and Google continue to be our primary platforms for video content, social media as a whole is now used mainly for performance marketing rather than pure brand storytelling. We also run platform-specific campaigns on Myntra and Amazon, where video formats help us reach high-intent audiences and drive measurable outcomes. This shift has allowed us to use video more strategically—tailoring content to each platform’s strengths while ensuring it contributes directly to performance and revenue goals.”

The brand says the biggest shift has been moving away from “one master video adapted everywhere” to a multi-format, multi-intent approach.

Menswear brand Snitch also underscores that video is now central to how young consumers discover and decide on fashion. Siddharth Dungarwal, Founder & CEO, Snitch, told e4m, “Short-form video is where trends are born, and for a brand like ours, it’s the fastest way to show fit, attitude, and personality.” The brand relies on fast, high-energy clips on Instagram and YouTube Shorts to drive trend adoption, while platform-specific videos on Myntra focus on fit, drape and styling to boost conversions and reduce returns. Longer storytelling formats are reserved for LinkedIn and owned channels, where Snitch highlights its design philosophy and manufacturing edge. 

Dating brand Aisle highlights that video has become the strongest medium to communicate intent, values, and cultural nuance. Riya Sawant, Brand Lead of Aisle Network, noted that Indian dating audiences respond best to authentic, story-first content, saying, “Video lets us show real emotions and real conversations, something static creatives simply cannot convey.” 

Aisle uses short-form Reels to spark curiosity and normalise modern dating behaviour, often rooted in everyday humour and vernacular storytelling. Long-form formats, including testimonial-style narratives and mini-films, help articulate the brand’s positioning around “high-intent relationships” and differentiate it from swipe-heavy global apps. With LinkedIn emerging as a surprising growth channel, Aisle uses it to spotlight cultural insights and product philosophy, while performance-heavy platforms like Meta rely on snackable ads optimised for signups and app installs.

Meanwhile, new age tech brands like Flam, are using platform-specific narratives to simplify tech, drive trials, and elevate engagement. “Consumers don’t just want to watch anymore; they want to participate. With Flam’s 3D mixed-reality experiences activated through a simple QR scan, attention jumps from the industry’s 0.1 seconds for images and 3 seconds for video to 18–26 seconds of focused engagement. This isn’t just a creative shift, it’s a performance shift,” said Karthik K Raman, CMO & Head of Product, Flam.

What’s Driving the Shift Toward Video-Led Commerce?

The rise of video in a commerce context is being fuelled by a fundamental reset in how Indian consumers discover, evaluate and purchase products online. Marketers emphasise that the same user behaves very differently depending on the platform, the mindset they are in, and where they are in the purchase funnel. Increasingly, discovery, validation and purchase are collapsing into the same moment, especially on shopping-first ecosystems like Amazon, Myntra. This is exactly why video is no longer just a content piece; it has become the primary interface for commerce-led discovery.

Datta from dentsu explains that video’s real strength lies in its ability to convert interest into action instantly. “For e-commerce players like Amazon and Myntra, video is a critical tool for influencing purchase behavior and driving conversions. Here, video's strength lies in its shoppability – showcasing products in real-world scenarios, offering detailed demonstrations, unboxing experiences, and even virtual try-ons. Live commerce combines entertainment with immediate transactional opportunities, fostering urgency and community,” he said. This evolution has pushed brands to adopt a far more nuanced, platform-native approach—one that values authenticity and utility over glossy, generic content. 

Three strong consumer and infrastructure shifts have intensified this transformation as per experts. For starters, India’s 650 million-plus smartphone users who are inherently video-first, the mass behavioural adoption of vertical short-form videos driven by Instagram and WhatsApp, and the simple convenience and interactivity that makes video more persuasive and ROI-friendly compared to static images. Consumers have also become more comfortable making quick decisions, and platforms are actively designing experiences that reduce friction and shorten decision cycles.

On Myntra, this behavioural shift is most visible. As Datta shares an example, “The consumer’s journey on Myntra is no longer browse → shortlist → try → buy. Today, discovery, validation and purchase all happen within the same 10–20 second video.” With richer visual cues and higher contextual trust, video is now doing the job that once required multiple touchpoints and multiple formats. On commerce platforms, video doesn’t just introduce the product, it seals the deal.

Common Mistakes Brands Make With Video-Led Engagement

Marketers say the biggest mistake brands make is still treating video as a one-size-fits-all asset—assuming the same edit will work on Instagram’s high-scroll feed, LinkedIn’s credibility-first environment, and Myntra’s commerce-native interface. This is exactly why videos underperform: completion rates drop, recall stays low, and add-to-cart impact is minimal, because the content is optimised for visibility, not for behaviour. As Aisle’s Riya Sawant puts it, it’s the “copy-paste trap”, resizing the same film for every platform and losing relevance at every stage of the funnel.

Another recurring misstep is overvaluing polish and undervaluing clarity. Experts point out that brands often beautify videos so much that the message gets lost—the science disappears, the product intent blurs, and the viewer leaves with more confusion than conviction. And while trends, humour and pop-culture cues help with discovery, leaning too heavily on them can dilute brand truth. Several marketers have also warned against “performance tunnel-vision,” where brands rely solely on short, product-heavy videos. Without space for deeper narrative, long-term affinity collapses.

“A common myth is that ‘any video is good video.’ Conversions rise only when brands move away from chasing views and start crafting purpose-built stories that match user intent,” said Chincholi.

There’s also a persistent myth that only high-production videos perform. In reality, raw, UGC-style, or unfiltered content often outperforms studio-grade films on Reels, Shorts and even LinkedIn, because it feels real, immediate and low-friction. Another gap is unclear intent. Many videos are made without defining whether they’re meant for discovery, education, trust-building or conversion. 

It looks like the question is now very simple: are brands willing to build a platform-native video ecosystem instead of relying on a single, multi-use asset?