Sales through social media platforms account for over 79 percent of the total online selling of goods and services in India, a PayPal report said on Thursday.

Growing digitisation and increasing internet penetration in India have reportedly encouraged commerce to move online, it said.

"Facebook, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are used most by merchants in India, than anywhere across Asia (excluding China)," said the report named "Beyond Networking: Social Commerce as a Driver of Digital Payments".

Across the Asian markets surveyed, India leads with 84 percent of merchants using mobile-enabled payment methods, according to the survey.

The survey found that about 52 percent of the total consumer demand on social media commerce comprises cosmetics and beauty products.