Financial decisions flip digital: Reels, chats, and creator trust

India’s financial services landscape is undergoing a profound transformation. Long dominated by traditional channels—branch visits, print ads, and expert consultations—the path to purchase for financial products is increasingly digital.

The ‘From Feeds to Financial Futures’ study, commissioned by Meta and conducted by Ipsos, reveals how platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp are now central to financial decision-making, reshaping how consumers discover, evaluate, and buy complex products.

Surveying over 2,000 respondents aged 25-45 across Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Kolkata, the study highlights that six out of eight touchpoints in the financial purchase journey are digital, with half of these occurring on Meta platforms. Notably, 57% of users rely on Instagram and 53% on Facebook to make financial decisions, while half the respondents use WhatsApp to evaluate products. This shift reflects a broader move away from traditional, linear journeys towards a dynamic, multi-channel discovery process.

“Financial planning is integral to the lives of most Indians across income groups. But this process is rapidly evolving, fuelled by digital,” said Shweta Bajpai, director financial services at Meta India. She pointed to the growing influence of reels, creators, and business messaging, alongside rising numbers of women taking independent financial decisions, as key insights for marketers.

Digital dominance in financial discovery

Although financial services have a strong offline presence, digital touchpoints now dominate the consumer’s journey. The study shows Meta platforms play a crucial role throughout all stages—from discovery (81%) to evaluation (79%) and purchase (83%). For loans, investments, insurance, and savings products, these numbers rise even higher.

Anoop Manohar, chief marketing officer at Axis Bank, explained how short-form videos and Reels are driving product discovery, “Short-form video and Reels are transforming the way businesses connect with new customers and fuel product and brand discovery.” His bank’s ‘Open Experience 2.0’ campaign used this format to boost credit card approvals by 26%, while their ‘Made on Instagram’ creator-led campaign further confirmed Reels’ growing impact.

 

 

 

 

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This evolution challenges the notion that complex financial products require long-form storytelling. Instead, short, engaging content is proving effective at simplifying jargon and building trust. Creator-led videos breaking down credit scores or explaining mutual funds are examples of how complexity can be turned into clarity in under 60 seconds.

Creators as trusted guides

The Meta-Ipsos study finds consumers increasingly value authenticity over authority. About 75% trust financial podcasts, and 67% look to influencers and subject matter experts for guidance. Celebrity endorsements, once dominant, are now giving way to creator-led advice that offers peer validation and relatability.

Vikram Sakhuja, group CEO of Madison Media and OOH, emphasised this shift: “What truly set this campaign apart was the use of sharp, insight-led influencer Reels crafted for Meta’s ecosystem — not just to engage, but to drive real business outcomes. The 129% lift in savings leads and 3-point jump in unaided recall stand testament to the power of collaboration, creativity, and smart media thinking.”

Financial brands can thus broaden their influencer partnerships, as long as these creators avoid offering technical or specific financial advice. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) permits influencers to promote generic financial products, provided no expert advice is given.

Meanwhile, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) regulates that technical advice must come from registered professionals, restricting live stock tips and direct influencer promotions by registered entities. These rules are shaping how brands approach influencer marketing in the financial sector.

Women driving independent financial choices

The narrative that women are passive participants in finance is increasingly outdated. The study reveals women spend more time than men on Instagram and WhatsApp and nearly as much on Facebook, with 80% reporting they make independent financial decisions.

This demographic shift presents marketers with both opportunity and responsibility. Women are not just consuming content; they are actively shaping financial conversations and decisions within their households and communities.

WhatsApp’s place in the financial journey is also significant. The study notes 44% use WhatsApp during discovery, 50% during evaluation, and 48% at the purchase stage, with users spending an average of 56 minutes daily on the app.

This creates fertile ground for conversational commerce, where personalised, AI-enhanced engagement can help guide users seamlessly from inquiry to purchase. Sai Narayan, chief marketing officer at Policybazaar, highlighted the channel’s effectiveness.

“Our use of the Click to WhatsApp product within Meta campaigns has proven especially effective—achieving over a 5% conversion rate from lead to policy sale, delivering 43% higher conversion rate compared to our business-as-usual Meta web campaigns,” he stated.

Implications for marketers and brands

The study’s findings underscore a critical reality: financial brands must adapt to a digital-first discovery model powered by short-form video, creator influence, and conversational messaging. This demands not just presence but strategic engagement on platforms where consumers seek clarity and connection.

Lalatendu Das, CEO of Publicis Media India, shared how collaboration with Meta’s AI-powered tools is delivering results: “Through a collaborative approach, we harness Meta’s Advantage+ Sales Campaigns to enhance product discoverability and customer acquisition. This partnership enabled significant increases in leads and bookings for our clients, including a 53% improvement in high-net-worth individual leads for ICICI Prudential Life Insurance.”

Such outcomes demonstrate how data-driven, creator-led, and AI-supported marketing can move consumers from casual scroll to serious financial consideration.

The ‘From Feeds to Financial Futures’ study captures a crucial evolution in Indian financial services marketing. Digital channels, especially Meta’s ecosystem, are no longer peripheral but central to financial product journeys. The rise of Reels and creators enables complex financial concepts to be communicated simply and authentically, empowering consumers across demographics, particularly women.

For marketers, this means rethinking strategies beyond traditional funnels, embracing short-form content, and leveraging trusted creator voices and conversational commerce on WhatsApp. Compliance with ASCI and SEBI regulations also defines the parameters of effective influencer partnerships in finance.

As financial decision-making accelerates on digital platforms, brands that align with these trends will be better positioned to influence purchase journeys and build long-term trust in an increasingly complex market.