650 million smartphone users set to shape India’s festive shopping: VEVE report

The festive season in India has always been about more than just celebrations. It’s when families come together, when homes light up, and when shopping takes centre stage. For brands, these few weeks often decide the year’s scorecard. With AJIO’s Big Bold Sale and Amazon’s Great Indian Festival driving shopping frenzies, this short stretch alone often decides the year’s fortunes. And in 2025, with millions of shoppers glued to their phones, the real question is how much of that spend will play out on the mobile screen.

The VEVE Festive Report 2025 explores how consumer behaviour is shifting in this high-stakes season. India now has over 650 million smartphone users, and 71% of festive shoppers plan to buy online, most completing their purchases directly on mobile. UPI transactions touched 16 billion in October 2024, underscoring just how central the phone has become in the purchase journey.

This is where on-device ads come in. Away from the clutter of social feeds and search results, formats like splash screens, notifications, app stores and lock screens allow brands to be present inside the consumer’s phone at the exact moments when decisions are being made.

The report highlights what this looks like in action. AJIO achieved over 25x ROAS using browser and lock screen formats, while entertainment players scaled campaigns using regionalised browser notifications. BFSI brands like ACKO saw success through strategic app install campaigns across vivo and Xiaomi native app stores, delivering an average conversion rate of 18%, while retargeting through App Drawers to reduce customer acquisition cost.

Speaking about the report insights, Rishi Sharma, SVP, Advertiser Sales, APAC, said, “By connecting with consumers directly on their smartphones, right at the micro-moments when decisions are made, brands can drive real relevance and measurable impact. The VEVE Festive Report 2025 is meant to prepare marketers for this landscape: combining rich consumer insights, proven OEM advertising strategies, and compelling case studies to help you turn festive realities into festive ROI.”

Beyond results, the report maps campaign timelines from pre-festive build-up to post-Diwali retention, offering marketers a blueprint to sustain impact. Whether in e-commerce, BFSI, travel or entertainment, the message is clear. Incremental growth lies outside the usual platforms, and on-device advertising is fast emerging as the way in.

The VEVE Festive Report 2025 closes on one certainty. Festive shopping is now mobile-first, and the brands that break through will be the ones that go beyond traditional ad spaces to capture attention on the most personal screen of all, the smartphone.

Download the VEVE Festive Report for insights into how mobile is shaping festive shopping and the role of on-device ads: