Adtech meets e-retail: The big ideas from Flipkart Connect 2025

Flipkart Ads recently hosted its flagship annual event celebrating the power of e-commerce, retail, and innovation — Flipkart Connect 2025 — in Mumbai, bringing together industry leaders, brand partners, entrepreneurs, and creative minds to explore cutting-edge trends, share actionable insights, and recognise groundbreaking campaigns that have made a real impact to shape the future of digital retail in India.

From dynamic keynotes and fireside chats to deep-dive sessions, the event explored the latest trends in e-commerce, digital marketing campaigns, consumer engagement, and brand storytelling — spotlighting the innovation driving India’s digital commerce evolution.

One of the key themes resonating throughout the event was the evolution of consumer journeys and digital touchpoints. Speakers highlighted that today’s consumers navigate a fragmented yet interconnected discovery landscape, from social media and video content to search and marketplaces. For brands, this means branding and performance can no longer operate in silos. A truly integrated strategy across platforms, especially e-commerce, is essential to deliver superior outcomes.

During his session, Vaibhav Kapur, Senior Director, Flipkart Ads, urged brands to embrace this shift and move beyond traditional funnel-based marketing. “Consumer behavior is evolving constantly, and it’s becoming more difficult to reach, engage and convert customers. Therefore, it is important for retail media to also evolve,” he said.

Kapur noted that digital advertising in India is growing at 18–20%, with e-retail ads accelerating even faster, as per the Dentsu e4m Digital Report 2025. The e-retail media market size is estimated at ₹11,293 crore in 2024, contributing 20–25% to the overall digital ad spend, and growing at a similar pace. This surge is not just indicative of a shift in budgets — it reflects the growing trust brands place in platforms like Flipkart Ads to drive both performance and engagement.

He outlined an exciting vision for Flipkart Ads, built around three core pillars:

01. Insights & Intelligence through Flipkart IRIS (Insights and Research Intelligence System)

02. AI-Powered Performance Engine that helps drive scalable, personalised impact

03. On-the-Go Interactive Ad Experiences that boost discoverability and engagement in real time

These foundational elements are enabling brands to connect with high-intent consumers, optimize performance, and build long-term loyalty — making Flipkart Ads a critical engine in India’s e-retail ecosystem.

The event also saw the unveiling of the How India Shops Online 2025 report, launched in collaboration with Bain & Company, offering a data-rich look into the country’s fast-growing e-retail landscape.

Unveiling the report, Manan Bhasin, Partner, Bain & Co, observed, “The next 200 million consumers are on social media, consuming video content, and are already in the digital funnel to be onboarded onto e-commerce.” He also highlighted that high-frequency categories like grocery, lifestyle, and general merchandise are set to contribute around 70% of incremental growth, with penetration levels expected to rise two to four times.

Tier II and smaller cities continue to be among the strongest drivers of growth — with 60% of new shoppers since 2020 coming from Tier III+ cities and 60% of sellers since 2021 from Tier II+ cities. Quick commerce, trend-first commerce, and hypervalue commerce emerged as three major disruptors poised to reshape e-retail business models.

Vijay Iyer, Vice President & General Manager, Flipkart Ads, comparing the growth of e-commerce across segments to the rise of Internet access and smartphone penetration, said, “E-commerce has been quick to get to a certain size and scale, perhaps even faster than the Internet and smartphone. E-commerce and retail media have had a profound impact on where, why and how consumers buy products and services.”

A major highlight of the event was the deep dive into Flipkart’s IRIS — a robust platform that gives brands a 360-degree view of consumer behavior and campaign performance. From real-time metrics like brand recall and product views to conversion rates and customer lifetime value, IRIS acts as a strategic growth enabler across the purchase funnel.

One of IRIS’ standout features, the Search Term Report, provides brands with granular visibility into branded, own, and competitor keywords — empowering smarter bidding and optimization strategies. Whether it’s a D2C challenger or a large FMCG enterprise, IRIS is equipping marketers with the intelligence to make data-driven decisions and unlock sustainable ROI.

Concluding the event was a high-energy segment celebrating campaign excellence, where brands were recognized for creative and impactful use of Flipkart Ads. From effectively telling brand origin stories to outperforming performance benchmarks, the award winners underscored the platform’s growing role in shaping India’s next wave of homegrown brand success.