September 18, 2026, Gurugram: Festive shopping is entering a more considered phase, with consumers balancing discovery, comparison, offers and trust before making purchase decisions. VDO.AI’s Festive Consumer Index 2026 finds that while consumers continue to discover products across multiple digital environments, the advertising experience itself is becoming increasingly important in influencing consideration and purchase.
Among advertising environments, CTV and OTT rank highest for consumer trust at 38%, ahead of social media at 29%, shopping apps at 19%, AI search at 10% and news websites at 4%. The finding points to the growing importance of premium, content-rich environments at a time when consumers are becoming more selective about the advertising they engage with.
The report also finds that festive spending remains resilient. 89% of consumers plan to maintain or increase their festive spending this year, while fashion emerges as the highest-intent category, with 72% planning to shop for it. Yet higher intent does not necessarily mean faster decisions. More than 70% of consumers compare at least three brands before purchasing and 58% delay purchases while waiting for festive sales or better offers. This makes the festive journey less about simply being present and more about helping consumers make decisions.
That need for decision support is also reflected in what consumers expect from advertising. Product demonstrations emerge as the strongest creative preference, with interactive advertisements ranking a close second. The findings suggest that consumers are increasingly drawn to advertising that can explain a product, showcase its value and allow them to explore rather than simply interrupt their content experience.
At the same time, relevance is becoming critical to sustaining attention. Excessive repetition emerges as the biggest contributor to ad fatigue, while irrelevant messaging, overly promotional communication and generic creative also contribute significantly to advertising avoidance.
Arjit Sachdeva, Co-founder, VDO.AI, said, “Consumers are entering the festive season with a clear intent to spend, but they are becoming far more discerning about where, when and how they engage with brands. They are not short of choices or information; what they value is advertising that helps them navigate those choices. For marketers, this signals a shift from simply competing for attention to earning it, by being more relevant, more useful and more aligned with the moment of decision.”
More than a snapshot of festive behaviour, VDO.AI’s Festive Consumer Index 2026 is a playbook for marketers navigating a more discerning consumer. It maps where attention sits, what earns trust and what makes advertising worth engaging with, giving brands a practical lens to rethink their festive media, creative and consumer experience.
Know where festive consumers are looking, what they trust and what gets them to act.
