INDIA, Oct 24, 2025 – As the festive season kicks off across the country, Criteo (NASDAQ: CRTO), the global platform connecting the commerce ecosystem, has released insights on online retail sales, traffic patterns, and consumer behaviour. Diwali 2025 highlights a strong surge in growth and heightened purchase intent with 93% of Indian consumers shopping online during the festive season. This festive season saw a notable upswing across key retail categories—led by fashion, home decor and health & beauty as shoppers began scouting for deals nearly a month before Diwali.
Criteo’s analysis of Indian shoppers’ online activities during the peak Diwali week last year, the data revealed a measured buying journey, with an average of 15 days between the first product view and final purchase. Some of the most deliberate shoppers took over 6 weeks to complete their transactions, underscoring a thoughtful and research-driven approach to festive shopping.
During the two-week period before Diwali, online retail sales in 2025 recorded an impressive 14% year-on-year growth, reaffirming Diwali’s position as a cornerstone of India’s retail calendar. Growth in online sales peaked at 51% while traffic peaked at 36% two weeks ahead of Diwali, before going down on Diwali itself.
Indian shoppers prioritize great deals, with 59% saying discounts are the main reason they try new online stores during Diwali. Free shipping at 46% and exclusive products at 45% are the next biggest motivators, reflecting how value and exclusivity drive festive purchases. The desire for fast delivery attracts 45% of shoppers, while 43% are drawn to discounts unavailable elsewhere and another 43% to early access to Diwali offers. This underscores how value, convenience, and credibility together shape festive shopping behaviour in India.
Fashion emerged as the top-performing category with a 71% spike in peak-day sales and a 30% average uplift in the last two weeks leading up to Diwali, followed by Home & Garden products which show up to 3x sales in India driven by lighting items and candles, reflecting strong consumer enthusiasm for festive-centric purchases.
During the peak period leading up to Diwali (October 7–12), the Health & Beauty category registered a robust 63% increase, driven by gifting kits, skincare, and hairstyling products. The consistent demand across categories highlights how personal style, home aesthetics, and self-care remain central to festive consumption, signalling a shift toward holistic and experience-driven celebrations in 2025.
Medhavi Singh, Country Head, Criteo India said, “Diwali reaffirms India’s rise as a dynamic digital retail market, where consumers shop smarter and earlier, balancing value with experience. Criteo’s insights show that Diwali is now a key retail moment driving growth across categories like fashion, home décor, and beauty. To harness this momentum, businesses must adopt a full-funnel, cross channel commerce media strategy that unites performance and experience for a seamless, personalized festive journey”.
Criteo data indicates that with advertising competition intensifying, the growth in average CPCs stood at 45% and CPMs averaged by 26% in the 2 weeks leading up to Diwali. However, brands that invested early saw stronger returns and higher visibility. Conversion rates showed notable growth across categories, led by fashion and apparel, which recorded a significant uplift as early-month sales outpaced traffic.
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