This festive season, shopping in India looks very different from what it did even a year ago. From browsing to buying, consumers are no longer relying on instinct alone; technology is shaping every step of their journey. An enormous 79% of shoppers turn toward AI to make decisions around what to purchase, expecting a smooth experience from discovery through checkout. The 2025 Glance and InMobi festive trends report presents further evidence showing that 83% of consumers are spending more time online than they were in 2024. For brands and e-commerce players, this means a season that is not only more competitive but also brimming with opportunity. The real question is – “Can AI truly keep pace with the evolving digital-first shopper?”
AI is already at the core center of the way brands know and shape consumer journeys. Product discovery, previously driven by ads or word-of-mouth, is now driven by hyper-personalized recommendations based on browsing history, purchase intent, and appropriate signals. AI-solutions enable brands to plan these intricate, non-linear journeys and serve up personally-curated ideas that feel more like natural instincts and less like promotions. Decoding intent is also possible in moments of delay; cart abandonment, a longstanding challenge in e-commerce, is now met by AI systems that forecast drop-offs and send timely reminders, promotions, or substitute product suggestions to recover prospective sales.
The holiday season brings an added level of urgency. Unpredictable spikes in demand, but AI-driven predictive analytics give brands the means to pre-empt consumer desire with more accuracy. Past purchasing history combined with real-time browsing information allows retailers to predict what merchandise will see a spike in demand, prepare inventory levels accordingly, and present contextual offers when consumers are most likely to buy. This degree of foresight guarantees brands both meet demand and prevent stockouts or overstocking – two dangers that can break or make a critical sales window.
However, consumer behavior is more than just algorithms scrutinizing data. Consumption has an emotional aspect, especially on high-stakes events such as Christmas or Diwali. They don’t want to be disregarded by faceless automation; they want to be heard and appreciated. It is here that the blending of AI with human-driven engagement becomes compulsory. AI is capable of detecting patterns, but it is the human touch, empathetic messaging, culturally on-point storytelling, or festive-themed campaigns that convert insights into richer conversations. Brands that achieve the balance are likely to cut through a cluttered marketplace, winning conversions, to be sure, but also long-term loyalty.
The transformation of consumer behaviour is undeniable. Patrons now anticipate convenience, context, and customization with each click, moving aside from passive scrolling and toward active, guided exploration. For brands, the festive season brings both a huge opportunity and a tough challenge. The ones that can use AI’s predictive power while still adding a touch of human creativity will be best placed to turn festive intent into festive action. In India’s fast-moving, digitally-driven festive economy, the future of retail will depend on how well AI may decode, anticipate, and enrich the ever-changing rhythm of consumer behavior.
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