72% of Indians intend to shop this festive season: Inmobi report

India is home to one of the longest festive seasons across the globe. Kicking off as early as August and continuing till the middle of January the following year, Indians have a reason to celebrate nearly once every fortnight during this period. While 2020 was a year of severe disruptions and major shifts in consumer behaviour due to the pandemic and lockdowns, the year 2021 has been all about resurgence and a fight back to normalcy.

In its study, titled ‘Decoding the Connected Indian Festive Shopper in 2021’, InMobi seeks to better understand the shopping sentiments of Indian consumers this festive season, which in turn will provide marketers with deep insights needed to fine-tune their mobile strategies.

Despite a tough few months in 2021, Indians are all set to showcase their resilience and embrace this festive season; 72% of Indians intend to shop across the various auspicious occasions. They plan to purchase a wide range of products, including: Clothing & Accessories (Clothes, shoes, bags, etc.), Gadgets (Smartphone, tablets, etc.), and Home Appliances (Televisions, refrigerators, coffee makers, etc.).

As one travel across each region, consumers have different preferences for what they will be purchasing, showcasing how culture can reflect purchase preferences. On an average, consumers are set to spend Rs 21,230 on festive season shopping, a 42% increase from last year, according to Inmobi’s report.

The pandemic period has seen consumers shifting to online buying, and this trend will continue during the festive season, with over 68% of consumers planning to make their festive purchases online this year. Just 6% of the respondents said that they would shop only offline. Meanwhile, 32% of the respondents prefer to shop both online and offline. Mobile dominates in the shoppers’ journey to learn, explore, and buy.

Over 43% of the respondents have doubled down on their digital habits, having claimed that they will spend more online, while 39% state that they will be cutting their spends on offline channels.

Different regions plan to make their purchases at different times of the year. Almost 60% of the respondents in Tier 1, 2 and 3 cities plan to make purchases in the period before Dussehra, defining the peak timeline for their festive shopping.

On the other hand, 28% of the respondents shared that they are unlikely to shop this festive season. This is due to a variety of reasons, a majority of which can be attributed to COVID and its long-lasting impact. Reduced budgets, safety concerns, and the lack of the right offers are some of the top reasons cited by non-shoppers.

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