From Diwali delights to Christmas cheer – maximize your ad campaigns during the retail rush

India's festive season is a truly unique time of the year, sparked by the sheer number of vibrant festivities that fall from September to December, creating an extended retail peak unlike any other in the world. Marked by Dussehra, Diwali, and Christmas, this is a crucial time for retailers as the convergence of multiple celebrations drives a significant surge in consumer spending. 

Consumers in India are rapidly embracing the convenience and variety of online shopping, particularly during festivities. In 2023, the number of annual online shoppers was estimated to be about a massive 250 million.¹ This remarkable digital surge fueled the 2023 festive sales, especially for e-commerce, leading to a Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) surpassing ₹900 million. This is poised to grow by at least 20% in 2024.²

To help you make the most of this crucial time of year, Microsoft Advertising and InMobi have released the 2024 festive trends report, so you can take action and stand out among the competition.

Here are our top 3 recommendations:

1. Budget for surging CPCs: Maximize your impact by planning your budgets for surging CPCs during peak festive periods. Take advantage of lower CPCs and optimize program toward driving site traffic, building remarketing lists for Holiday prioritization. This is another great example of how an early push will impact your downstream consumer activity. Most activity that occurs in these peak months starts with early exposure to Search and/or Audience Ads.

2. In addition to leading retail categories like apparel, personal and beauty products and food and beverages, September stood out with heightened activity across high-value retail categories like motor vehicles and home appliances, as the festive season is traditionally considered an auspicious time for such purchases. This is where Microsoft Advertising’s new AI-powered Performance Max campaign can help. Performance Max campaigns are designed to find and convert more customers by pairing the right creative assets with the right targeting parameters and creating new combinations until we find the most high-performing ad for the market. During a 2 month global study, we saw that advertisers running Search Ads + PMAX help reduce cost (-32% CPA) with an increase ROI (3X ROAS) which helps you drive more conversions.

3. Enable quicker purchases: According to research by Bain & Mercer, online shoppers in India browse more than 20 product pages before making a purchase. To help shorten consumer’s path to purchase, display prices, reviews and product availability using Microsoft Advertising’s product price ads to serve up information your shoppers are looking for. Additionally, Microsoft Advertising’s multimedia ads can also help your brand stand out and attract these high-purchase intent consumers.

These insights highlight the immense potential of the festive months in India, when consumer intent and purchasing power is at an all-time high. Leverage our data-driven strategies and consumer trends from the festive trends playbook to confidently navigate the festive rush and stay ahead of the competition.

Ready to make the most of this opportunity? Get in touch with InMobi, Microsoft Advertising’s partner in India to schedule a consultation with a team of experts today.