Canva's India expansion: A case study in localisation and AI-powered design

New Delhi: Canva, the global design platform, has witnessed significant growth in India, its fifth-largest market. This surge is fuelled by the country's burgeoning creator economy, driven by widespread smartphone adoption and affordable technology.

"India is a cornerstone of Canva's global growth," said Chandrika Deb, Growth and Marketing Lead for Canva India. "The country's burgeoning creator economy, fuelled by widespread smartphone adoption and affordable technology, has created a high demand for specialised design tools." 

Canva's strategy in India revolves around deep localisation. This includes establishing a dedicated local team, launching hyper-local campaigns, content, and partnerships, and ensuring their product supports multiple Indian languages. 

"Dil Se, Design Tak" campaign marks a significant milestone in their ambition to reach every internet user in India. "Our campaign aims to reach a massive audience of over 100 million active internet users in urban India," said Deb. "By leveraging a multi-channel approach, including television and digital platforms, we will target a diverse demographic encompassing consumers, knowledge workers, small and large enterprises, students, teachers, and content creators." 

The power of visual communication 

India's dynamic market is experiencing a rapid evolution in visual communication, driven by a confluence of technological advancements and socio-cultural shifts. Increased smartphone and internet penetration has created fertile ground for visual content to flourish, impacting how information is consumed, shared, and interpreted. 

"According to the second edition of our Visual Economy Survey, 73% of Indian business leaders say communicating visually has increased their business performance," said Deb. "Design is one of the fundamental pillars that content and marketing rest on." 

Visual design not only strengthens brand building but also enhances content engagement. Eye-catching visuals combined with captivating narratives increase shareability and click-through rates. Complex data becomes accessible through infographics and charts, while user experience is improved with clear visual cues.

“Our research indicates that 92% of business leaders believe AI has enhanced visual communication quality,” said Deb. Therefore, Canva is now expanding its reach to serve enterprises, with a focus on features like ease of use, collaboration, and AI—aspects relevant to both individuals and businesses. This aligns with the findings of their Visual Economy Survey, which highlights the growing importance of AI-powered visual communication tools. 

Recognising this shift early on, “Canva has been investing heavily in AI for over six years, culminating in the acquisition of innovation-first organisations such as Kaleido, Affinity, and most recently Leonardo.ai, along with the launch of Magic Studio. Our AI tools have been used over 7 billion times,” highlighted Deb. Thereby, witnessing a rise in enterprise adoption and over 95% of Fortune 500 companies now leverage Canva. Their Magic Studio also tools support multiple Indian languages, demonstrating their commitment to accessibility. Additionally, these AI-powered tools streamline the design process, making it easier for users to create professional-looking visuals. 

Investing in the future that involves both creators and developers 

"Canva's commitment extends beyond its platform," said Deb. "We actively invest in our creator and developer communities through a dedicated 50 million-dollar developer innovation fund." 

This empowers developers to contribute to the expanding app ecosystem, consolidating design tools into a single, user-friendly platform. 

In today's digital age, creators play a crucial role in shaping public opinion and driving consumer trends. Canva's intuitive drag-and-drop interface allows creators to design everything from social media posts to video thumbnails. This ease of use is complemented by a vast library of customisable templates, enabling creators to produce professional-looking content quickly and efficiently. 

"Creators are a thriving user base for us," says Deb. "Based on this, we introduced ‘The Canva Creator Program’, which offers a unique opportunity for individuals with a passion for design to share their work with a global audience and earn a passive income." 

“Our campaign aims to reach a massive audience of over 100 million active internet users in urban India. By leveraging a multi-channel approach, including television and digital platforms, we will target a diverse demographic encompassing consumers, knowledge workers, small and large enterprises, students, teachers, and content creators,” explained Deb. Furthermore, their focus is also on tapping into their strong community of over 240K freelancers across their Facebook group ‘Canva for Freelancers’, and the ‘Canva Creator Program’ is currently supporting over 120 Indian creators. Thus, expanding rapidly to nurture local talent.

"As we reach more users in India, we are deeply committed to ensuring that we create a truly local product for them," says Deb. "From content localisation for important local occasions such as Diwali, Holi, weddings, etc., to the onboarding experience and payment methods and plans, we’re working to create a seamless end-to-end product experience for our users in India."