Global commerce intelligence platform Criteo has released its Spark of Discovery APAC 2026 report, highlighting India as the leading market in the Asia-Pacific region for discovery-driven commerce, with consumers showing stronger responsiveness to impulse buying triggers, influencer-led engagement, and AI-powered shopping experiences than their counterparts in Australia and Singapore.
The report found that Indian consumers are increasingly influenced by emotional and aesthetic factors while shopping online. Around 75% of Indian shoppers said joy plays an important role in online purchases, while 66% stated that attractive design drives impulse buying behaviour, significantly higher than in Australia and Singapore.
According to the findings, 45% of Indian consumers are influenced by novelty and limited-edition products when making impulse purchases, reinforcing the growing importance of discovery-led commerce strategies among brands operating in the country.
The report also highlighted the strong role of advertising and influencer marketing in India’s digital commerce ecosystem. Approximately 65% of Indian consumers said advertisements create positive brand sentiment, while 66% said relevant advertisements delivered at the right time generate excitement.
India emerged as the only market in the study where brand perceptions of influencer effectiveness closely aligned with consumer sentiment. Around 54% of Indian consumers stated that influencer content excites them, closely matching the 55% of brands that believe influencers help drive customer acquisition.
The study further indicated that Indian brands demonstrate stronger confidence in discovery-led marketing strategies than regional peers. About 95% of Indian brands surveyed said discovery contributes directly to brand growth, compared with 84% in Australia. Additionally, 86% of Indian brands expressed confidence in return on investment from discovery-led commerce initiatives.
Medhavi Singh, Country Head for India at Criteo, stated that India’s commerce ecosystem has evolved into one of the world’s most dynamic and data-rich environments for discovery-led commerce. She noted that Indian consumers respond strongly to relevant, context-driven experiences rooted in actual shopping behaviour, enabling brands to convert discovery into measurable business outcomes.
The report also underscored the growing role of artificial intelligence in shaping the next phase of digital commerce. According to the study, 93% of Indian brands plan to use AI to improve user experience, while 86% intend to deploy AI tools to reduce strategic guesswork and enhance campaign effectiveness.
Criteo noted that personalisation in commerce is evolving beyond exact-match recommendations towards what it described as “algorithmic serendipity”, where AI systems surface products consumers may not have actively searched for but are likely to engage with.
The findings come amid broader shifts in India’s digital advertising landscape, where commerce-led advertising, retail media, influencer ecosystems, and AI-driven discovery are increasingly converging to shape consumer journeys across platforms.
