India, 6th October 2025: As India enters the heart of its festive season, artificial intelligence has emerged as consumers’ new companion, with AI platform-related searches surging to 654 Million+ in pre-festive 2025 – a 2.6x jump from last year. From curating the perfect festive look to making purchase decisions, Indians are increasingly turning to AI tools for every aspect of celebration. This transformative shift forms the core theme of GRWAi (Get Ready with AI), the latest festive report presented by GIPSI, the HI+AI research and insights division of Tonic Worldwide.
Positioned as a Festive Booster Camp for brands and marketers, the comprehensive study reveals critical AI undercurrents shaping festive behaviour in 2025, signaling a fundamental shift in how Indians prepare for and celebrate festivals. With festive e-commerce GMV projected at ₹1.15 Lakh Crore following the GST Bachat Utsav coinciding with peak festive season, the findings offer consumer brands valuable guidance to sharpen their marketing strategies and capitalize on unprecedented consumer spending momentum.
GIPSI Festive Report 2025 Highlights
‘This Festive Season GRWAi – A Festive Booster Camp’
Why Get Ready With Ai?
To turn ‘moodboarding into mood setting’
Prep has become the main course, with moodboarding extending beyond fashion. into gifting, décor, food, and selfie booths. E.g.Pinterest alone saw 6K+ for “Pooja Invitation Card Backgrounds.”
To Cater to the GST Bachat Utsav Rush
Tax savings are blending with traditional discounting to become the new festive anchor.
How to GRWAi?
GRWAi ASSISTANT
AI Is Slipping Into Search
From shopping lists to recipes, consumers are outsourcing parts of their festive prep to smart Ai search. Ai Overviews are the new “front page” of search.
Implication for brands: SEO is passe, SOM (Share Of Model) is a KPI to watch out for this festive season!
GRWAI COMMERCE
AI Assistance Has Turned ‘Hoppers’ Into ‘Shoppers’
Ai usage in e-commerce is making brands more money by recovering abandoned carts, nudging hesitant shoppers, and giving personalised recommendations.
Two interesting behaviours
- Ai to Cart – Consumers are seeking a nudge, a trial, an experience to convert the cart. E.g. 10 Million+ Amazon users in India tried out Rufus – Amazon’s Ai shopping assistant. Myntra’s Ai shopping assistant Maya makes users 3x more likely to purchase and helps them discover products across 16% more categories.
- Experience Commerce is proof that people are outsourcing festive experience!
2000+ interested in ‘Pujo Parikrama walks’ in major cities on Facebook Events, 43.7K + interested in ‘Navratri events’ in major cities!
Implication for brands: Is your bot army ready to close the deal? Can Ai predict and enhance these experiences?
AI CONTENT
Prompts Are The New Filters
Ai prompts is the new game consumers are playing on Social Media. They are experimenting, creating and flaunting it.
2.7 Million+ views on Top 10 YouTube Shorts for ‘Gemini Ai Photo Editing Garba/Dandiya’ in 2025. 1.6 Million+ searches for ‘Ai Prompts’ in Prefestive’25, a 7.5x jump from last year.
Implication for brands: Up your content game for the prompt crazy audience. What’s your prompt?
Last but not least…
While You GRWAi… Don’t Forget to HI-Proof the festive activities. HI = Human intelligence)
The report concludes with a caution for brands and creators. As AI becomes more mainstream, there’s growing scrutiny over authenticity. Recently, Rado’s ad was called out for stitching actors together using AI. Brands must use human intervention to connect meaningfully and ensure the stories are not lost in a landscape increasingly shaped by AI innovation.
Commenting on the GRWAi report unveil, Anjali Malthankar, Global Strategy Director and GIPSI Co-Head, Tonic Worldwide said, “This festive season GRWAi is not just a report but a CTA as we enter the second half of the season. AI is not just a marketer’s tool, there are clear signals of consumers experimenting, engaging with and flaunting AI. Some of this behaviour is intentional and some has slipped into their behaviour without them realizing it. I strongly feel as far as AI is concerned, predictive, generative or both, brands can ignore AI but can’t escape it. Because either you are lacking, leveling or leading with AI. There is no ’fighting’ it. While I say this, I don’t think the role of HI (Human intelligence) will be undermined. In fact in our report, we caution brands to HI proof the use of AI.”
The GRWAi report employs GIPSI’s unique HI+AI methodology, triangulating multiple data points through deep listening across digital platforms and primary validation via the GIPSI App. The study covers data from pre-festive 2024 through pre-festive 2025 (September 2024 – September 2025).
