India's festive shopping about to change as robots lend helping hand

India's festive shopping season is about to change this year as the tech wonder kid makes its presence felt, while the 'upgrade to premium' wave continues to help brands sell more in value if not in volume.

A report by InMobi says that four in five shoppers are actively looking to use AI-powered shopping assistants to help with their festive buys, while three out of five shoppers plan to spend more than ₹10,000 this festive season.

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Gen Z or millennials: Who's ahead?

Another interesting trend the report projects is that it's not the newer generation, or GenZ, who leads in AI-assisted shopping as millennials' enthusiasm for AI-based recommendations for festive looks and products is higher by 10 percentage points than the Gen Zs.

AI-led brand discovery and decision-making are gaining significant traction as shoppers increasingly try smart search suggestions and virtual product try-ons.

Indians rush for AI-assisted shopping

Findings presented at the NIQ Insight Summit India 2026 last month had noted 92% of surveyed urban Indian shoppers said they had taken the help of at least one AI tool while shopping in the past month. Another festive sentiment survey by Reliance's JioStar said the average festive transaction size may jump 46% to ₹24,020 from ₹16,500 per shopper.

Also Read: Platforms, brands accelerate agentic commerce push

Months-long Middle East conflict has been unable to deter India's growth prospects and shoppers are opening their wallets amid rising wealth. The festive season is further expected to boost India's consumption demand while the shoppers' enthusiasm to make 'robots' work for their shopping decisions have already been cashed in by top online sellers. Flipkart, Bigbasket, Ajio, and Firstcry have been working to create their own AI storefronts and Myntra has AI-assisted shopping features such as Maya.

"Today’s festive shoppers expect hyper-relevant, frictionless discovery whether they are on their smart TV, lock screen, or everyday apps. For marketers, this means moving beyond high-volume advertising to creating AI-powered experiences that are useful in the moment, build brand trust and help consumers move seamlessly from discovery to decision," said Pavitra Gupta, Vice President & General Manager - India, InMobi.

Also Read: India’s big upgrade wave: Rs 1 crore+ homes, premium cars, Swiss watches & pricier phones

India's festive shopping trends

The report, The Marketer’s Guide to India’s Festive Season 2026, said that high spending intent spans across operating systems, with Android users demonstrating remarkable purchasing confidence. 22% shoppers may spend between ₹25,000 and ₹50,000 compared to 15% of iOS users. Both Android and iOS users share equal representation in the ₹50,000+ budget bracket.

Festive shopping is also becoming gender-neutral, the report said, as men and women are showing similar willingness to spend across mid-to-high budget ranges. Shoppers from the Tier 2 cities are also becoming a high-value segment, who are planning a budget of ₹10,000–₹25,000 range that is similar to the metro shoppers.

As for the products, apparel and footwear will continue to be the dominant items with 50% share of what shoppers will buy in this festive season. Jewelry (40%) and grocery/daily essentials (37%) are also seeing strong purchase intent, the report said.