IAS Festive Shopping report posts rosy picture

Contradictions and missing details in the IAS Festive Shopping Report raise questions about its consumer insight claims

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New Delhi: Integral Ad Science (IAS) has released its 2025 Festive Shopping Report with big claims on consumer intent, AI adoption and advertising impact.

But a closer look at the findings reveals contradictions, missing context and a heavy tilt towards advertiser interests. 

The press statement, for instance, says 67% of Indian consumers plan to begin festive shopping before August, only to later claim that 67% will start as early as October. This glaring inconsistency raises concerns among the advertisers.

To quote directly: “67% Indian consumers intend to start their festive shopping before August.” 

But another statement reads: “Our study reveals that the online festive shopping outlook remains robust, with 67% of consumers starting as early as October, prioritising lucrative offers and deals, discovering new products, brands, and curated gifting ideas, while avoiding higher prices later in the season.”

The press release also claims that 86% of shoppers will increase their budgets compared to 2024, pegging the average spend at Rs 16,500. Yet it offers no comparative figures from last year to substantiate this “growth.”

IAS suggests 87% of consumers are open to using AI tools for price tracking, recommendations and gift ideas. Such a sweeping number overlooks India’s digital divide and the low levels of AI literacy in Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets. There is no reference to data privacy concerns or scepticism around algorithm-driven shopping.

The press note does not disclose sample size, methodology, or the profile of respondents. These are the details that determine whether the findings are representative or merely selective.

Even when the press statement mentions omnichannel shopping, its examples are restricted to social media (69%), YouTube and video platforms (68%), and e-commerce/retail sites (60%). Offline retail, still the backbone of India’s festive economy, gets no meaningful mention. 

Finally, the press statement says nine in ten shoppers find ads helpful in festive discovery. Without details of how this number was arrived at, such sweeping claims risk sounding more like a sales pitch than a consumer insight study.

IAS Integral Ad Science consumer festive season
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