From fashion to tech: How influencers are powering India’s $300 billion commerce shift

India’s e-commerce market, currently valued at ₹10–12 lakh crore, is projected to more than double to nearly ₹23–25 lakh crore by 2030, according to a recent Boston Consulting Group (BCG) report. Yet, even at that scale, it will account for only 7–8% of total consumer spending, underscoring a critical shift: this is no longer a battle between online and offline. It is a connected commerce ecosystem where consumers research online, validate in-store, compare on quick commerce apps and often discover products through influencers before transacting anywhere.

In this collapsing funnel of discovery, consideration and conversion, influencers have emerged as the connective tissue binding platforms, formats and categories together.

From fashion brands hosting live-stream shopping sessions with creators to tech influencers decoding flash-sale deals, influencers are increasingly becoming the first touchpoint in India’s commerce journey.

Quick commerce thrives on impulse and habit. Tech influencers amplify urgency during limited-time electronics sales. Fashion influencers use live streaming to create scarcity and community buying moments. Beauty creators drive repeat top-ups through quick commerce apps where replenishment meets recommendation.

According to the Dentsu–e4m Digital Advertising Report 2026, e-commerce has emerged as the biggest gainer in digital advertising in 2025, clocking a 56% jump in spends ahead of sectors like tourism, education and automotive. In overall advertising terms, the e-commerce category accounted for roughly 18% of total ad spends, translating to over ₹22,000 crore in 2025.

Read On: Is quick commerce quietly altering the urban grocery marketing playbook?

The Continuum, Not the Choice

For Pragya Bijalwann, CMO at Voltas, the debate between e-commerce, quick commerce and offline is misplaced. “It is a continuum rather than a choice. For early stage e-commerce and quick commerce offer faster feedback loops, neighbourhood level testing and quicker learning. However, offline presence remains critical for long term selection and availability,” she said.

Bijalwann points out that many new-age brands launch with a single product, attempt to dominate a micro category and are less concerned about ROAS in the early stages. “Their focus is on winning the category first and expanding later. Everything that we see, from share shifts to structural changes, is ultimately an outcome of changing consumption patterns.”

In the air-conditioning category, quick commerce is not yet a primary sales driver. “Air conditioners are high-involvement, evolved purchases. Consumers do not make impulsive decisions on a ₹35,000 to ₹40,000 product within a 10-minute delivery window,” she noted. However, quick commerce platforms increasingly influence discovery, comparison and price benchmarking.

For large appliances, quick commerce acts more as an accessibility and visibility layer. The speed factor works for accessories, stabilisers and smaller SKUs, but for ACs, the journey still involves reviews, store visits and installation assurance. That said, as quick commerce platforms expand assortments and integrate installation services, their role in high-value categories may evolve.

From a brand standpoint, presence matters. “Quick commerce is not just about last-mile speed. It is about being visible in moments of intent,” she added.

That visibility today is often creator-led. For Voltas’ premium AC launch, tech reviewers and digital tech gurus were invited to decode features, energy efficiency metrics and smart integrations for digitally savvy audiences, blending product education with influencer credibility.

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Read On: 56% surge: Why e-commerce is winning the ad race

Commerce Has Collapsed Into One Scroll

Avinash Tiwary, Head of Digital Services (North) at Havas Media Group, believes the old channel silos are irrelevant.

“I don’t look at it as e-commerce versus D2C anymore, I look at it as commerce. End of the day, it is sales,” he said. Earlier, consumers would search, research and then visit a store. Today, discovery, consideration and conversion can happen within the same social feed. “If I’m on social and I see a product, I should be able to click and buy instantly. Your top funnel, mid funnel and bottom funnel need to exist in the same environment where you’re hooking the audience.”

He cautioned brands against over-relying on either marketplaces or owned websites. “If you send traffic directly to marketplaces, you lose data. If you push only D2C, the cost and operational load are high. I suggest starting 70% marketplace and 30% website, build your data layer, and then gradually strengthen D2C while defending marketplace scale.”

He noted that quick commerce may contribute just 2–3% for many FMCG brands, with 90% still coming from general trade. But presence shapes resonance and habit. “Once consumers try quick commerce and experience convenience, it becomes habitual.”

Influencer marketing becomes critical because the new target group lives on social. The collapse of the funnel means creators are no longer just awareness drivers, they are storefronts.

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This is evident in electronics. When Samsung launched its latest Galaxy devices, gamers and tech creators were roped in to showcase performance, camera features and gameplay in real-time environments. Around marquee events like Big Billion-style sales and Black Friday equivalents, tech influencers break down deal comparisons, nudging audiences directly to marketplace listings or flash-sale links often optimised for quick commerce where applicable.

Read On: PMAR: Q-comm advertising to jump 50% in 2026

The Growth Question

Yet, not everyone is convinced that achieving market projections of doubling by 2030 will be easy. Tathagat Jena, former CMO at HMD Global, called the forecast aggressive.

“Growth is happening, especially from Tier 3 and Tier 4 cities, and D2C brands in beauty, fashion and niche categories are definitely adding to the pie. But in value terms, 70–75% of marketplace revenue still comes from tech and durables,” he says.

As consumers premiumise, experience often outweighs discounts. “When someone is spending ₹40,000–₹60,000, they prefer a physical store. So while trust and payment friction are no longer barriers, whether value growth alone can make the industry double in four years, that seems a bit over-ambitious.”

The BCG report reinforces this complexity. While e-commerce is expanding rapidly, offline retail has grown at 13–14% annually over the past four years. Five out of ten offline shoppers still research online. Nearly 300 million Indians shop online today, projected to rise to 440 million by 2030, with 30% of shoppers coming from rural India. Women account for roughly 45% of digital shoppers, and two-thirds say they feel safer shopping online.

Commerce is expanding, but it is fragmenting into missions. Category-focused platforms now command over 60% of online spending. Quick commerce is growing at over 100% CAGR, while social and chat commerce is expanding at 40–45% CAGR and much of it powered by influencer-led discovery.

Community, Not Just Conversion

For Abhishek Chakraborty, Head of Digital at Oriflame India, the future lies beyond transactions. “By 2030–2035, India is expected to have nearly 500 million middle-class consumers,  a market comparable to the whole of Europe. The opportunity for e-commerce is immense, but traditional marketplaces come with limitations, especially around data access and compliance,” he said.

Oriflame operated a hybrid model, an e-commerce-like interface within a direct-selling framework. “Our brand partners sign KYC as part of government-mandated compliance, so data is collected with consent and remains within the ecosystem. What differentiates us is the power of community.”

Unlike marketplaces that enable transactions, community-led models convert sellers into entrepreneurs. “One platform can create millions of businesses. It’s digital commerce amplified by community.”

Influencers, in such ecosystems, are not just endorsers but recruiters, trainers and trust-builders.

Another marketer working across FMCG brands on platforms like Swiggy Instamart and Zepto believes the industry often over-indexes on disruption.

“E-commerce is ultimately just a vehicle that gives brands direct access to consumers. Take a step back and ask yourself: What problem does your product solve? Once that is clear, you can leverage any platform effectively.”

He warned that in the rush to scale on quick commerce and marketplaces, brands often neglect brand-building and genuine consumer connection.

He offered nuance regarding influencers. “Serious content creators who have invested in building their equity and who make thoughtful brand choices continue to unlock enormous value. The ecosystem is only growing, but responsibility and authenticity will determine who sustains.”

AI studios and automation can drive scale and speed, but never at the cost of originality, he added. In a market racing toward $300 billion, the real disruption may not be speed alone, but the seamless stitching together of content, commerce and community.