Festive shoppers prioritise personalised experiences over price: Report

A new report by Consumr.ai, TwinSights Festive Report 2025 - Decoding India’s Festive Shopper Through AI Twins, finds that festive purchase decisions in India are forming weeks before traditional indicators like sales or search data. The study uses Consumr.ai’s AI Twins, digital models built from observed consumer behaviour rather than self-reported claims, to simulate and predict shopper actions in real time.

The report identifies five key trends across sectors such as CPG, durables, beauty, wellness, and BFSI:

1. Personalisation trumps price - Curated gifts and experiences hold more value than generic discounts.
2. Utility is the new premium - Shoppers prioritise functional upgrades, such as energy savings, over novelty.
3. Stock Visibility Drives Trust - Transparent inventory and delivery guarantees reduce cart abandonment.
4. Mindful spending is mainstream - Consumers demand authenticity, sustainable packaging, and ingredient transparency.
5. Excitement must be earned - Gamification, exclusivity, and surprises outperform recycled offers.

Vivek Bhargava, Co-Founder of Consumr.ai, said, “AI Twins allow us to observe consumers in their walk of life, not through what they claim, but through what they actually do. Festive intent today is not triggered by a sale banner. It’s seeded much earlier in a reel, a ritual, or a conversation. Brands that can simulate and anticipate this behaviour will own the season before it begins.”

The report also provides sector-specific insights:

• CPG: Packaging and customised mixes increase recall; offering instant previews of assortments can reduce decision fatigue. The report suggests offering shoppers instant previews of mix-and-match assortments to reduce decision fatigue while driving shareability.
• Consumer durables & tech gadgets: Shoppers prioritise proof of utility and service over flashy features.
• Cosmetics & beauty: Ingredient transparency and ritual-based kits drive trust more than packaging or influencer promotions.
• BFSI: Finance decisions during festive seasons focus on speed and control, with instant approvals valued over lower APRs. The report suggests embedding finance in celebration, not just checkout. Be discoverable on social feeds and e-commerce product pages at the moment of intent-seeding, not just at payment.

Bhargava added, “TwinSights moves beyond recall-based research to reveal how consumers truly behave in the flow of life. Built on our proprietary AI Twin methodology, the report draws from four intelligence layers: Behavioural, Intent, Conversational, and Market, to surface insights that are deterministic, not modelled.”

The study highlights that in India’s rapidly evolving consumer landscape, brands that anticipate intent through simulation rather than waiting for reactive data can gain a strategic advantage during the festive season.