- Mainstream Indian publishers are shifting from advertising reliance to direct commerce models
- Hindustan Times leads with a content-to-commerce approach focused on automotive, tech, finance, and lifestyle
- The strategy aims to monetise emerging e‑commerce growth while balancing editorial integrity and audience trust
India’s mainstream publishers are increasingly turning editorial expertise into commerce, betting that guiding readers through purchase decisions can offset slowing growth in display advertising, which is affecting this huge market as much as those in the West.
Hindustan Times is among the most advanced adopters of the model, using specialised journalism, data science and partner integrations to drive transactions at scale.
Speaking at a WAN-IFRA webinar, Puneet Jain, chief executive of HT Digital, said the publisher now generates more than 150,000 qualified car-related leads each month. During the most recent festive quarter, he added, HT facilitated transactions worth about $11m.
HT’s commerce strategy is concentrated on three verticals: autos, shopping and lifestyle, and personal finance. Each is served by dedicated brands, including HT Auto, HT Tech, HT Shop Now and Mint Money, selected based on audience scale, digital penetration and the role content plays in consumer decision-making. The emphasis is on high-intent formats such as comparative reviews, scorecards and deal-led guides rather than general news reporting.
On the technology side, HT has built catalogue pipelines, price trackers, deep links and API-driven checkout bridges that connect editorial content directly to merchant transactions. Data science underpins the operation, using conversion modelling, lookalike audiences and intent graphs to identify likely buyers and extend reach. “The ad-first model alone may not be sustainable,” Jain said. “That’s why content-to-commerce becomes urgent, not optional.”
Operationally, the business is split into two units. A user team focuses on audience acquisition and demand generation across owned and social channels, while a transaction team manages integrations, attribution and optimisation. HT says the feedback loop between the two improves both targeting and commercial outcomes.
The push comes as India’s digital economy continues to expand, with rising internet access, smartphone use and online payments enlarging the pool of potential shoppers. For publishers, transaction-led models demand deeper vertical expertise, robust commerce infrastructure and careful handling of editorial trust.
Source: Noah Wire Services
- https://wan-ifra.org/2026/01/hindustan-times-builds-a-new-revenue-stream-with-content-to-commerce/ – Please view link – unable to able to access data
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indias-telecom-revolution-936-million-internet-users-and-5g-on-the-horizon/articleshow/118754627.cms – As of March 2025, India’s telecom sector has achieved significant milestones, reaching 936.16 million internet users with an overall telecom penetration rate of 85.69%. The country’s telecom network, now the second-largest globally, has experienced substantial growth in wireless and broadband subscriptions, hitting 1,165.49 million and 904.54 million respectively, while drawing significant foreign investments and advancing towards 5G and 6G technologies. The total telephone subscriber base has expanded to 1,199.28 million as of March 2024, marking a considerable increase from previous years.
- https://ibef.org/industry/ecommerce – The Indian e-commerce market is projected to grow from US$ 125 billion in 2024 to US$ 345 billion in 2030 and is expected to touch US$ 550 billion by 2035, up from US$ 84 billion in 2022, largely driven by tier-2 and tier-3 city adoption. The country’s B2B online marketplace opportunity is also estimated to reach US$ 200 billion by 2030. According to a recent report by EY India, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) could enhance productivity in India’s retail industry by 35-37% by 2030. The report, titled ‘The AIdea of India: 2025’, highlighted that 48% of Indian businesses have already initiated proof of concept (PoCs) for GenAI solutions, while another 32% are planning to invest or have allocated budgets for AI adoption. In August 2025, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) facilitated a total of 20 billion transactions, processing over Rs. 24,85,000 crore (US$ 288.65 billion) in value. This reflected a 34% rise in volume and a 21% increase in value YoY. PhonePe, Google Pay, and Paytm led the market, accounting for 85% of India’s digital payments.
- https://www.grabon.in/indulge/tech/india-e-commerce-statistics/ – India’s e-commerce industry is valued at Rs. 13,04,703 crores ($151 billion) as of 2025, accounting for 8% of the country’s total retail market. The Indian e-commerce market will keep on growing at a compound annual growth rate of 20.5% until 2030 to reach a valuation of Rs. 29,88,735 crore ($345 billion). This expansion has been driven by wider internet access, a growing middle class, and the country’s rise of digital payment solutions. While it started in urban centers initially, e-commerce gained momentum in tier 2 and 3 cities, and more recently, in rural areas, where it’s beginning to reshape local economies and consumer behavior.
- https://www.ibef.org/industry/ecommerce-presentation – As of March 2024, India had 954.4 million internet subscribers. By 2024, the country had also surpassed the United States to become the second-largest e-retail market with 270 million online shoppers. Trend-led fashion is projected to grow nearly four times by 2028, reaching Rs. 68,456–85,570 crore (US$ 8–10 billion), with over half of sales expected online. According to Counterpoint Research, India became the world’s second-largest smartphone market by unit volume and the third-largest by value in the third quarter of CY24, accounting for 15.5% of global shipments. IDC data shows India shipped 151 million units in 2024, growing 4% year-on-year. India’s subscription e-commerce market was valued at Rs. 88,479 crore (US$ 10.34 billion) in 2024 and is expected to grow to Rs. 3.2 lakh crore (US$ 374.24 billion) by 2033, at a CAGR of 45.13%. Social commerce began reshaping retail in 2023, with projections suggesting growth of 31% CAGR to US$ 37 billion by 2025. India’s live commerce market is expected to reach US$ 4–5 billion by 2025, led by BPC demand.
- https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/top-10-listing/top-10-largest-digital-populations-2025-india-global-rank-10211612/ – As of February 2025, India has over 806 million internet users, as noted by Statista, thereby placing it just behind China (1.11 billion) and well ahead of the United States (322 million). However, India lags behind the internet penetration rate, with over 55 per cent remaining lower than the U.S. and China.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-commerce_in_India – The size of the e-commerce market in India was $147.3 billion in 2024, with 18.7% predicted CAGR through to 2028. This growth will be fueled by technology innovations, cheaper data rates, and rising smartphone adoption – as well as increased market penetration due to growth from Tier II and III cities. By 2027, the number of Indian e-commerce consumers is projected to be 400 million, up from 312.5 million in 2022. India had an Internet user base of about 690.0 million in 2023, about 40% of the population. Despite being the second-largest user base in the world, only behind China (1.079 billion, 48% of population), the penetration of e-commerce is low compared to markets like the United States (266 million, 84%), or France (54M, 81%), but it is growing, adding around 6 million new entrants every month. In India, cash on delivery is the most preferred payment method, accumulating 75% of the e-retail activities.
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
10
Notes:
The article was published on January 22, 2026, and presents original content without evidence of prior publication elsewhere. No recycled news or outdated information was identified.
Quotes check
Score:
10
Notes:
Direct quotes from Puneet Jain, CEO of HT Digital, are unique to this article and have not been found in earlier publications. No discrepancies or reused content were detected.
Source reliability
Score:
8
Notes:
The article is published by WAN-IFRA, a reputable organisation focused on the news publishing industry. However, the article is authored by Aultrin Vijay, whose individual credibility is not independently verifiable. The content appears to be original and not derivative.
Plausability check
Score:
9
Notes:
The claims about HT Digital’s content-to-commerce strategy align with known industry trends and are supported by specific figures, such as generating over 150,000 qualified auto leads monthly and facilitating transactions worth about Rs 100 crore in a quarter. While these figures are plausible, they are not independently verified in the provided sources.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM
Summary:
The article presents original content with specific figures and direct quotes that are not found elsewhere. However, the reliance on internal sources without independent verification and the unverified nature of the claims about HT Digital’s content-to-commerce strategy introduce some uncertainty. While the content is plausible and the source is reputable, the lack of external corroboration affects the overall confidence in the information presented.
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