Twitter dominates pre-festive shopping action this Diwali

For years, advertisers have been trying to leap aboard the Diwali brandwagon. New research conducted by Twitter & TNS shows that 92% of people on Twitter in India expect to shop for Diwali this year, with 85% planning to shop online. The study delves into Diwali shoppers’ world to help marketers gain a better understanding of their shopping preferences.

It also helps to understand content consumption patterns, activity engagement, and most importantly, expectations from brands both in terms of online customer service and content.

Key Highlights:

• 72% of Diwali shoppers think that Twitter helps them to discover great Diwali buys.
• 52% of people on Twitter would follow a brand for Diwali deals and discounts.
• Twitter users are 3X more likely to expect Diwali related videos compared to non-Twitter users.
• 46% of Twitter users start planning purchases almost a month before.

The research found that an increasing number of Indians are turning to digital platforms to garner information and insights for making their purchase decisions. Twitter provides a huge opportunity for brands to interact with consumers on the platform. The findings confirm the following:

• 93% have interacted with brands on Twitter before, and 52% would follow a brand for Diwali deals and discounts.
• 81% of Diwali shoppers believe that Twitter helps them to keep in touch with Diwali trends.
• 46% of Diwali shoppers on Twitter would use Twitter to explore brands and products for their Diwali shopping.

The online video consumption trend on Twitter is at an all time high during Diwali as people are 3X more likely to view Diwali festive videos and 1.5X Twitter consumers are more likely to expect product videos. This can be attributed to an increase in smartphone adoption that continues to drive mobile video consumption. Diwali shoppers also want available, agile and authentic customer services with 68% of people expecting brands to be available 24/7 with an always-on approach and 50% expecting service providers to be able to resolve conflicts quickly.

Taranjeet Singh (@taranjeet24), Business Head, Twitter India commented, “Twitter is the live connection to culture and it is our endeavour to be the one stop destination for Indians to buy, gift, share or express themselves for Diwali this year. This study shows Twitter’s role in shaping consumer purchase decisions for this festive season to help brands connect with millions of Indians through live conversations and videos on social media. Brands are using this Diwali opportunity to build mutually beneficial and meaningful relationships with people across the country and we’re one of the primary platforms where decisions related to festive shopping take place.”

How marketers can engage the Diwali shopper:

• Understand their content needs - Diwali shoppers expect to be better informed on product and loyalty.
• 61% expect brands to share recommendations for the right product
• 54% expect to be awarded for their loyalty with exclusive offers
• 56% expect to receive attractive images of the latest products
• 53% expect useful articles and content about products
• 52% expect exclusive promotions, deals or discounts for Twitter followers, 52% expect information about latest products.
• Better customer service - 68% expect brands to be available to solve their problems 24/7, while 50% expect brands to be able to resolve conflicts quickly.
• Visual content -  3X Twitter consumers are more likely to expect Diwali festive videos, 1.5x users are more likely to expect product videos and 42% people are more likely to expect to play video on Twitter.