A new Criteo report reveals that 84% of Indian consumers prefer fewer but more relevant advertisements, even when powered by their personal history, while 60% find history-based ads helpful despite 71% experiencing repetitive messaging. Developed with Ecosystm, the study “From Fragmented Touchpoints to Connected Journeys” highlights opportunities for AI-powered advertising strategies.
The research shows 51% of shoppers conduct research outside retail platforms and 44% use multiple channels before purchase, with only 5% completing transactions on the same platform where they began research.
Multi-Channel Shopping Paths
Consumers discover products across diverse platforms: 67% notice ads on social media, 55% through shopping app searches, 51% on retailer homepages and 45% on product pages within apps. Social media ads (29%) and video/OTT ads (25%) most influence purchase decisions, followed by search ads (21%).
Purchase timelines vary: 26% buy immediately after seeing ads, 38% same day, while 27% research up to a week before returning to complete transactions.
Retail Advertising Challenges
Digital advertisers face measurement issues, with 50% citing attribution difficulties, 43% struggling with data standardisation across retailers and 32% facing challenges activating data across platforms.
Retail platforms use AI primarily for privacy-compliant audience segments (72%) and shopper intent modelling (65%), but only 46% apply AI for real-time ad format adaptation across web, app and CTV.
Expected Growth Areas
Retailers anticipate margin growth from offsite shoppable videos (40%), CTV (24%) and onsite sponsored product listings (21%) in 2026, particularly platforms integrating SKU-level data with omnichannel execution and closed-loop measurement.
Medhavi Singh, Country Head at Criteo India, said retail media requires stronger data foundations and AI-driven real-time personalisation to capitalise on high-intent consumer signals and shrinking purchase cycles.
