#78 – Bye-Bye Boring Festive Shopping Ads

What Do Customers Want From The Festive Sales This Year?

We’ve had a busy year (as always), but while managing our clients’ campaigns and studying customer data, we’ve spotted some emerging trends.

We believe you should also pay attention to them.

1. The early bird will get the worm

With e-commerce behemoths like Amazon holding pre-festive sales with great discounts, the official festive shopping season is beginning much earlier. In the USA, for example, for the last few years, Christmas holiday shopping started in October itself.

This holds true for India as well–– because in 2025, the festive season is starting in September itself, with Diwali occurring in the first half of October.

For the customers, this signals spreading out their purchases to avoid the last-minute rush, and making the most of monsoon stock clearances. So, if you want cash registers ringing this year, start your promotions early.

2. The young’uns are savvy with deals

Studies found that a significant percentage of the 18-34 year-old population is being extremely budget-conscious this shopping season. The tight job market, along with increased living and household expenses, is pushing young shoppers to seek out the best deals and bargains — both online and offline.

Surveys by Microsoft Advertising have shown that price sensitivity is even influencing product discovery. Meaning, people are searching BY PRICE to find the best deals.

This marks a shift from the usual name brands, which have historically been shopping destinations for the older generations.

So if you want to be a hit with the young crowds, offer good discounts and promote them everywhere. If your product is “premium”, you must strengthen your value proposition and keep your messaging sharp.

3. Social media is where the money is

Thanks to our changing internet habits- social media has emerged as a BIG shopping destination. A study found that in 2025, social shopping has gone up by 25% for people who did festive purchases- whereas it was only 12% last year.

We believe this trend will continue in the festive season as well. Social media provides brands and creators with ample space and creative enhancements to present their wares and communicate their value proposition in the best way.

If you’re not experimenting with social commerce- you’ll be left behind. Look at how others are doing it, and make your Instagram and YouTube feed shoppable. This saves your customers time and effort, and substantially improves your conversion rates.

4. Sustainability remains the key

Continuing the trend from the last few years- sustainability remains a major factor among customers. Brands that are known for their sustainability initiatives or eco-friendly practices are being more sought out by conscious customers.

Customers are also gravitating towards products with minimal packaging, or packaging made of recycled materials. Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ personal care line, Anomaly, is a typical example of this trend.

It’s time you talk about your social and sustainable responsibility initiatives, too. They provide you with rich possibilities for storytelling and creating emotive campaigns that are memorable and are likely to resonate with Gen Z.

5. Personalized alerts are “extremely helpful”

Of course- everyone likes to be reminded that it’s time to shop. Doubly so when you’re dealing with savvy deal shoppers, who would like to know if a sale is on or prices just dropped. A study found 57% of customers find timely deal alerts “extremely helpful.”

So if you want to see more people line up for your offerings— send them personalized alerts about exciting deals. Timing is everything in marketing, so make sure your message reaches them at the right time.

Not to mention, you’ll do a massive favor to those perennially busy or forgetful shoppers who always leave everything to the last minute.

If you haven’t started on your festive season marketing, you really need to. You need to do it in a way that aligns with your customers’ habits.

Otherwise, you’ll lose out.

And the great Indian Shopping Season comes only once in a year.

Our online advertising pros can help you connect with your customers right away.

👉 brandloom.com/advertising

And make the festive season truly celebratory for yourself.

P.S. Hope you read my last marketing story #77 – When Strategy Meets Storytelling, Awards Follow

That’s it for today, thanks for reading.
Yours Sincerely,