94% marketers back short-form video as top festive ad format: Report

A new report by Affle 3i Ltd, 'India's Festive Pulse: Decoding Trends for the 2025 Shopping Season,' reveals a dramatic shift in consumer behavior, painting a picture of a digitally savvy, multi-screen shopper whose path to purchase is more complex and immediate than ever before. The study by technology company Affle in collaboration with research partner VTION indicates that the traditional, collective family shopping outing is rapidly being replaced by individual, mobile-first, and highly fragmented purchasing journeys.

Based on a nationwide survey conducted in August 2025, the report decodes how Indians will discover, browse, and buy during the country's most significant commercial period, which spans from Navratri through Diwali. The findings highlight an urgent need for brands and marketers to adapt to a landscape where attention is split across devices and purchase decisions are made in fleeting moments.

The heart of the 2025 festive shopping experience is unquestionably the smartphone. The report finds that an overwhelming 86% of consumers use Android devices for their shopping needs, cementing mobile's role as the primary gateway for both discovery and transactions. However, the living room is emerging as a powerful new battlefield for consumer attention. Smart TVs are used by 32% of shoppers, with internet-based Connected TV (CTV) accounting for 27%. This “screen fusion”—where audiences jump between smartphones, TVs, and laptops (used by 25%)—means that inspiration and product research now happen across multiple contexts, often simultaneously.

This shift is particularly evident in how consumers discover new products and shopping apps. While the Google Play Store remains the main portal for app discovery for 77% of users, ads are playing an increasingly crucial role. One-third of consumers (33%) now find new shopping apps through mobile in-app advertisements, and nearly as many (31%) are influenced by ads seen on CTV.

The festive discovery journey begins overwhelmingly on social media, with 70% of shoppers coming across promotions on platforms like Instagram and YouTube. This is followed closely by ads on mobile apps and brand websites, which influence 68% of consumers, reinforcing the dominance of digital channels in driving initial interest.

Consumer behavior during this period is far from casual. The report notes that shopping becomes an intense, daily activity. From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., more than 90% of consumers are actively browsing festive offers, seamlessly blending deal-hunting into their daily routines. Nearly half of all shoppers dedicate between two to four hours or more each day to this pursuit, reflecting a high-intent, purchase-driven mindset.

This heightened engagement is backed by strong spending intent. A significant 47% of surveyed consumers plan to increase their festive spending compared to the previous year, signaling robust economic optimism. Many begin their search well in advance, with 49% starting to look for deals about 15 days before a festival, while a third (33%) make their final decisions in the last few days.

For marketers, the report underscores that how an ad is delivered is as important as what it says. A striking 79% of shoppers state they engage better with ads delivered in their preferred regional language, highlighting the critical need for localized creative strategies. Repetition also proves effective, with 59% of consumers agreeing that repeated exposure to an ad influences their shopping decisions. However, this must be balanced to avoid “ad fatigue,” which 20% of respondents report feeling.

Perhaps one of the most critical insights for businesses is how digital advertising translates into actual sales across different channels. The journey from seeing an ad to making a purchase is not always linear or confined to one device. While 58% of consumers eventually buy a product on the same device where they saw the ad, 32% switch to a different device like a laptop to complete the purchase. Crucially, digital ads are driving significant offline traffic. About 38% of shoppers go on to buy the product in a physical store after seeing an online ad, proving the power of a connected online-to-offline strategy. The window of influence is also relatively short. Half of all shoppers are likely to purchase a product within 3–7 days of seeing an advertisement, confirming the high-intent nature of the festive season.

The report also sheds light on the strategies of marketers themselves. The majority (71%) begin their festive campaign planning between July and September, with the overwhelming goal being to drive sales and conversions (82%). While Google and Meta remain the dominant channels for acquiring new customers, Connected TV (CTV) is the fastest-rising star. A majority (53%) of marketers plan to increase their CTV budgets this year, recognizing its growing role in product discovery. Overall, 35% of marketers plan to increase their total festive ad spends by 15–20% over 2024.

However, the season is not without its difficulties. The biggest challenge, cited by 65% of marketers, is rising competition and ad costs. To stand out, brands are leaning heavily into specific creative formats. Short-form videos (under 15 seconds) are seen as the top-performing format by 94% of marketers, followed by festive-themed native ads (71%).

Ultimately, the report concludes that success in the 2025 festive season will depend on a holistic, multi-pronged approach. Brands must balance performance marketing with brand building, create connected campaigns that flow seamlessly from the TV to the mobile phone, and, above all, speak to consumers in a language and context that feels personal and culturally relevant.

Commenting on the findings of the report, Vipul Kedia, COO - India & Emerging Markets at Affle, said, “With this year's report, we set out to highlight how India’s festive shopper is navigating a truly connected journey, one that spans mobile apps, CTV, and offline touchpoints in seamless but complex ways. What’s clear is that discovery and purchase are no longer linear or tied to a single screen. Instead, consumers move fluidly across platforms, with ads on mobile and CTV playing a pivotal role not just in triggering action but in building lasting recall. The rise of vernacular and culturally contextual creative further underscores the need for marketers to think beyond reach and embrace resonance. As festive campaigns become more multi-screen and intent-driven, the opportunity lies in integrating these touchpoints into one connected, measurable experience.”

Shailesh Varudkar, Chief Operating Officer at VTION added, “The festive season in India has always been the heartbeat of commerce, and this report, in collaboration with Affle, shows just how much the pulse has changed. Shoppers are now mobile-first, discovery-driven, and effortlessly omnichannel; switching between social feeds, CTV, and shopping apps before making a purchase. For marketers, the lesson is clear: campaigns must be recalibrated for this new consumer journey, where timing, personalization, and context define festive success..”