Milan Partani grew up in Malpura, a Rajasthan town of fewer than 50,000 people, where local kirana stores decided which brands shoppers could buy. In personal care, that meant a handful of names, such as Vicco and Fair & Lovely.

Now, as chief business officer at Meesho, Partani is driving Meesho Mall, the e-commerce company’s bet on bringing branded products to towns like his. Mall’s net merchandise value (NMV) rose 93 per cent year-on-year in the June quarter, and transacting consumers grew 88 per cent.

“Consumers in smaller towns have always had aspiration,” Partani said. “What digital commerce has changed is their access to choice.”

For decades, Partani said, a brand’s reach beyond major cities depended on the time and investment required to build physical distribution. “As a result, consumers in smaller markets often had access to a narrower range of products, pack sizes and price points. Digital commerce is changing that equation,” he said.

Mall was built in response to consumer demand for branded products, particularly in personal care and beauty, footwear and electronic accessories, Partani said.

That demand showed up in the festive season. On Day 1 of Meesho’s recent Mega Blockbuster Sale, Mall orders grew more than 200 per cent year-on-year. Tier 3+ Mall customers nearly tripled. More than one in three shoppers bought a Mall product for the first time, across more than 1,000 brands.

The shift was most visible in everyday aspiration-led categories. More than eight in 10 first-time Mall buyers shopped for beauty and personal care, including face washes, perfumes, soaps and skincare. Health and wellness and footwear followed.

Demand for Meesho’s mass-market products has also held up. Total orders during Rakhi, the start of the festive shopping period for many consumers, grew 36 per cent year-on-year, Partani said.

On how economic uncertainty, including the West Asia conflict, is affecting demand, Partani said that in periods of uncertainty, consumers tend to become more value-conscious and look to fulfil their needs within tighter budgets.

“In that context, Meesho’s affordability proposition can create tailwinds rather than headwinds,” Partani said.

Brands are also finding new shoppers. More than one million users made their first-ever Meesho Mall purchase through cosmetics brand Mamaearth, while more than one million shoppers made their first-ever purchase of Plix wellness products on the platform.

Repeat purchases are also increasing. Nearly 40 per cent of babycare brand Bumtum’s customers return to buy again, while Bella Vita consumers are expanding from fragrances into body care, hair care and cosmetics.

“Being value-conscious and having brand preferences can coexist,” Partani said.

Keeping brands affordable and genuine rests on cost and trust, Partani said. Meesho uses its asset-light, technology-led logistics model to keep fulfilment costs low. Its Consumer Demand Intelligence Platform analyses search behaviour, price points and pack-size preferences to help brands find gaps in their assortments. An insight into demand for 10 ml packs now drives more than 50 per cent of personal care brand Pilgrim’s serum orders, according to Meesho.

To keep products genuine, Meesho’s AI-led TrustMesh system scans about 300,000 catalogues daily, alongside seller verification and human review. In FY26, it helped remove about 1.7 crore non-compliant listings.

AI also shapes how people shop. “Across Tier 2+ India, shopping is far more discovery-led,” Partani said.

Meesho’s AI discovery engine, PRISM, personalises shopping feeds, which generated more than 75 per cent of orders on the Meesho platform in FY26. Vaani lets customers shop using natural language in Hindi and English, Partani said.

AI tools for sellers contributed to annual transacting sellers growing 81 per cent to 1.04 million in Q1 FY27, the company said. Tier IV cities grew fastest, at 125 per cent year-on-year.

Advertising spending on the platform is discretionary, with brands and sellers calibrating it based on returns. In Q1 FY27, improved platform monetisation, logistics efficiencies and lower cancellations helped expand the contribution margin to 4.6 per cent of NMV.

“Our priorities remain consistent with what we outlined at the time of our IPO: technology and AI, bringing more consumers online, strengthening our logistics ecosystem, and evaluating acquisitions that strengthen the broader Meesho ecosystem,” Partani said.

The company is also looking to increase wallet share by adding categories that give existing consumers more reasons to transact more frequently. Consumer feedback and search behaviour guide Meesho’s expansion into FMCG, personal care and beauty, and regional foods.

Meesho sees its value- and price-conscious customer base as distinct from the convenience-led, immediacy-focused shoppers served by quick-commerce platforms.

In Malpura, Partani also saw households living on weekly wages prefer smaller packs, lower ticket sizes and more frequent purchases.

Returning to Malpura today, Partani sees more people shopping online, with access to brands such as Mamaearth, Plix, Ghar Soaps and Plum in formats and price points that work for them.