The holiday season in India is nothing short of a festive frenzy. From Diwali and Christmas to New Year’s celebrations, this period sees a significant surge in shopping, gifting, and indulgence. With just a few weeks left, what are the strategies brands should employ to capture consumer attention and drive sales.

Let’s dive into how understanding the psychology of Indian holiday shoppers and crafting impactful campaigns can help your brand maximise the season’s potential.

The Psychology of Holiday Shoppers

When it comes to gifting, consumers are driven by a mix of nostalgia, joy, and a little bit of pressure to find perfect gifts. So, it’s important to understand their mindset and how it shapes their purchasing behaviour: 

> Who Are They Buying For? Gifts for family, friends, and children dominate shopping lists. But there’s also a notable rise in self-gifting, particularly among urban millennials and Gen Z. Recent trends show that 34% of urban shoppers in India plan to spend on themselves this holiday season—be it gadgets, apparel, or experiences.

> How They Purchase: Convenience is king, with 43% of purchases in India made via mobile devices. Additionally, e-commerce platforms see their biggest sales during festive & holiday months, with consumers drawn to the ease of online shopping and the promise of timely delivery.

> How Price-Sensitive Are They? Indian shoppers are value-conscious but willing to spend more if they perceive added benefits. Bundled offers, value based rewards, cashbacks, and rewards like experiences or vouchers are key to winning their wallets.

Cutting Through the Noise: Strategic Insights

The Indian rewarding market is saturated with deals, discounts, and sales. To stand out, brands must create campaigns that resonate with the cultural, emotional, and aspirational aspects of Indian consumers. Here’s how:

> Key Sectors Activated During the Holiday Season
Certain categories experience a sharp increase in demand. Brands in these sectors can create high-impact campaigns to capture market share:

– Personal Care & Cosmetics

During the winter season, products like foot creams, lip balms, and moisturizers dominate shopping lists and bundling rewards with them are a great way to increase brand recall. 

A great example is the Himalaya FootCare Cream Campaign, which offered customers a free pedicure reward with every purchase.

The reward was delivered as an on-pack promotion, boosted sales across major retail outlets during the 60-day holiday period.

– Consumer Durables
Products like air purifiers, heaters, and large-screen TVs see a spike during the holiday season. With global sales phenomena like Black Friday and Cyber Wednesdays, the Indian audience also is looking for a great deal bundled with rewards.

Play to consumer aspirations by offering Grand prizes like motorbikes, LED TVs, or holiday packages. Combine these with sales promotions such as assured rewards around travel, OTT subscriptions, health & fitness and more

– Retail
Retail purchases in apparel and travel see a welcome rise during the holiday season. Experiences around travel, dining and pampering that consumers anyways engage during this season make for great impactful rewards. 

Central, in the run up to the New Year,  ran a Free Return Domestic Flight Campaign that effectively tapped into this trend by offering free domestic tickets for purchases above ₹6000 at their store. It  harnessed the psychology of holiday buying and increased their footfalls & average billing size.

> Holiday Technology, anyone?

The Holiday season both here in India and abroad is a season of giving. Using technology to tap into the emotional quotient can increase brand engagement online and on social media. 

One form of engagement could be a digital message to their loved ones in the form text, Gif or video with branding on it. The tech built could also enable customers to send personalized digital gift cards from their favorite brands on purchase or pure engagement. 

> A Season of Giving

As a brand, it’s never too late to make an impact in the society and what better way to do it other than by involving your customers. 

Run reward campaigns that support a worthwhile cause. 

For example, our Titan Secret Santa Campaign spread holiday cheer by donating Camlin stationery to underprivileged girls with every sale. Customers love to get involved in such causes during this season.

The holiday season is a golden opportunity to boost sales, build loyalty, and make a lasting impression. Whether it’s:

> High-value rewards 

> Sector-specific campaign 

> An emotional strategy fostering personalized connections

At BigCity, we have the expertise in technology and rewards catalog to help your brand create something truly spectacular this season—in just a matter of days.

Why Choose BigCity?

Whether it’s:

> Developing marketing and promotional strategies or

> Designing promotion rewards to boost engagement,

> Providing scalable tech solutions for consumer sales promotions

BigCity is your go-to promotion agency with 16+ years of experience in sales promotion strategies.

From retail sales promotions to trade promotions, we specialize in creating campaigns that deliver results.

It’s not too late to make an impact this holiday season. Let’s make it spectacular—together. Contact us today at marketing@bigcity.in