Mumbai, Aug 2026.

 India's festive shopping journey has evolved and so should the role of marketers within it. New research by GWI and Snapchat reveals that the festive purchase journey no longer ends with discovery. While creators and content inspire consumers to explore products, purchase decisions are increasingly shaped through conversations with their inner circle of trusted friends and family. For marketers, this means festive success is no longer just about driving awareness, it's about earning confidence during the moments that ultimately influence what consumers buy.

The research also shows that for Gen Z, festive is no longer a single shopping moment but an extended season of discovery, inspiration and decision-making, giving brands multiple opportunities to engage consumers rather than one peak moment to win.

Jason Mander, Chief Insight Officer at GWI said: “What's striking in this research is how much the festive shopping journey has changed shape. It's no longer a single moment to be won around a big shopping weekend. For Gen Z, it's an extended season, with nearly four in ten planning their Diwali purchases a month or more in advance, and just as many blending planning with impulse buys along the way. And even once a product is discovered, the decision to buy is rarely made alone - most Gen Z shoppers lean on friends and family for reassurance first. For brands, that's a meaningful shift in where and how they need to show up, and it's exactly the kind of pattern that only becomes visible when you look at real behavior from real people, rather than stereotypes and assumptions".

Key takeaways from the research:

The Inner Circle Drives Decisions

The new battleground is confidence, the research suggests that while product discovery remains an important part of the festive shopping journey, purchase decisions are increasingly shaped by consumers' inner circle, the trusted friends and family they turn to for reassurance before buying.

7 in 10 Gen Z consumers say creator content helps them discover products.¹ But when it comes to deciding what to buy, trusted conversations play a different role:

●        76% say instant feedback from people they trust makes them feel more confident in their purchase decisions.¹

●        63% share products with friends or family before making a purchase.¹

●        4 in 10 actively seek opinions or advice.¹

Marketer implication:For brands, this means festive marketing is no longer just about being discovered, it's also about showing up in the conversations that influence final purchase decisions.

As Gen Z turns to its inner circle before making festive purchases, Snapchat becomes the platform where those conversations happen naturally, helping brands participate in the moments that build confidence before consumers buy.

●        75% of Gen Z Daily Snapchatters agree they chat to their friends on Snapchat about purchases while the item is in their basket.²

●        67% of Gen Z Daily Snapchatters agree Snapchat helps them feel confident in their purchase decisions during the Festive season.²

●        40% of Gen Z Daily Snapchatters say things they saw or shared on Snapchat have led them to share a product with others.²

Festive is about multiple moments and not one singular celebration

Contrary to the perception that festive shopping peaks around Diwali, the research shows that Gen Z begins planning much earlier.

●        70% of Gen Z believe the festive season consists of multiple celebrations rather than one shopping moment.¹

●        Nearly 4 in 10 start planning Diwali over a month in advance.¹

Gen Z engage in both planned and impulse shopping

●        41% of Gen Z say most of their purchases are planned in advance¹ while 40% of Gen Z do some planning but also buy spontaneously¹

Marketer implication: For marketers it is clear that festive campaigns can no longer be built around a single peak weekend. They must win across an extended season.

Snapchat, a destination where Gen Z comes to celebrate moments in turn helping brands stay present from discovery to discussion to decision-making.

●        A third of Gen Z use Snapchat to share moments, celebrate, and stay connected with others during the Festive Season.³

●        78% of Daily Snapchatters agree that Snapchat is where they share festive moments with close friends/family²

●        Among Daily Snapchatters 49% ask friends or family for shopping advice.²

Relationships Before Retail

For Gen Z, festivities are first about celebrating and connecting with the people who matter. Shopping is embedded within those social moments rather than being a separate activity.

Real-life connection leads the season and dominates interactions

●        ‘Spending time with family’ is the top activity (65%) Gen Z say they tend to do more often compared to other times of the year¹

●        Gen Z prioritize other close relationships too:

○        47% spend time with friends & 43% buy gifts for others¹

○        40% attend celebrations or gatherings (16% more likely among Daily Snapchatters)⁴

Social media is used for staying connected, not just scrolling

●        77% of Gen Z say they interact the most with family members on social media during the Festive Season, followed by close friends (76%)³

●        ‘Connecting with family’ is the top reason for using social platforms during the Festive Season (63%), followed by ‘sharing moments with close friends’ (52%).³

Built around close relationships, Snapchat naturally aligns with how Gen Z experiences the festive season.

●        Among Daily Snapchatters 78% say Snapchat is where they share festive moments with close friends and family.²

●        43% of Gen Z Daily Snapchatters have asked friends for shopping opinions on Snapchat.²

●        42% of Gen Z Daily Snapchatters have sent a Snap to a friend to ask for their opinions while shopping.²

Yagnesh Ravi, Lead - Ad Solutions, Snap Inc. India, said: "For years, festive advertising has been centred around visibility. What this research shows is that the next opportunity lies in confidence. Gen Z isn't making purchase decisions in isolation they're discussing, validating and sharing those decisions with the people they trust. Because Snapchat is built around close relationships and visual communication, brands have an opportunity to become part of those decision-making moments, not just the discovery phase. That's a very different role, and one that can make festive marketing more meaningful and more effective."

Unlike platforms primarily built around content consumption, Snapchat is designed around communication between close friends and family, the very interactions increasingly shaping festive purchase decisions. Across categories including fashion, beauty, consumer technology and quick commerce, Snapchat also over-indexes during key moments of inspiration, product sharing, opinion-seeking and final decision-making.

As consumers move from discovery to evaluation, the platform enables brands to participate in the trusted conversations through ad formats like Sponsored Snap, AR lenses, Interactive Videos and the newly launched ‘Promoted Places’ which allow brands to show up on Snap Map and connect with Gen Z in the moments they’re discovering, sharing and making decisions together.