eNews
Indians’ shopping trends this festive season revealed by Inshorts poll
Mumbai: Inshorts group, a news app, Inshorts, and the local content platform, Public, have released their latest poll, offering valuable insights into consumer behaviour and shopping preferences during the festive season. This survey, which garnered over 2.4 Lakh responses, highlights how various factors such as festive shopping triggers, timing preferences, budgeting habits, and platform choices influence consumer behaviour and purchasing decisions during the festive season.
Festive shopping triggers and preferences
● The Poll revealed that 48 per cent of respondents were more inclined to purchase festive-themed products during the festive season.
● Whereas, 67 per cent of respondents are more likely to buy additional items when special seasonal discounts are available.
● In terms of platform comparison, 82 per cent of respondents explore multiple platforms before making their final festive season purchases.
Last-Minute vs. planned shopping
● Additionally, 51 per cent of respondents purchase festive clothes well in advance, while 49 per cent tend to buy them last minute, indicating a fairly balanced approach to shopping timing.
● For festive gifts, a notable 58 per cent of respondents prefer to buy last-minute.
● When shopping for gifts last minute, 39 per cent prefer to make their purchases through quick-commerce or instant delivery services.
● Regarding festive decorations, 54 per cent of respondents buy them last minute.
● For urgent home décor items, a notable 34 per cent of the respondents opt for quick-commerce or instant delivery.
● Festive gift hampers are typically purchased last minute by 55 per cent of respondents.
● For urgent festive gift hampers, 35 per cent of the respondents turn to quick-commerce options.
Budgeting & spending pattern
● The poll also revealed that 59 per cent of respondents do not set a specific budget for their festival shopping.
● Whereas, 60 per cent of respondents prefer to invest in high-value items like electronics and appliances during festive sales.
● Additionally, 49 per cent of respondents said they spend more on Home & Decor items during the festive season compared to other times of the year.
Online vs. offline shopping preferences
● When it comes to festive clothes such as sarees, kurtas, and lehengas, 66 per cent of respondents prefer to shop offline.
● For festival gift purchases, 44 per cent of respondents favour buying gifts online.
● High-value purchases such as electronics show a more balanced preference, with 52 per cent of consumers opting for online shopping and 48 per cent choosing offline.
● In the category of festive home décor, including diyas, lights, and rangolis, 75 per cent of respondents opt for offline purchases.
● For festive gift hampers, which include sweets and dry fruits, 82 per cent prefer to shop offline.
● In terms of last-minute festive item purchases, 32 per cent of respondents are more likely to shop from online options.
● Additionally, 65 per cent of respondents would be more likely to purchase festive gifts online if custom gift packaging options were available.
● Finally, 75 per cent believe that the ability to schedule delivery for a specific time during the festive season would enhance the convenience of online shopping.
eNews
PNB partners Kiwi to launch credit-enabled UPI for users
Targets 180 million customers; RuPay card offers 0.5 per cent to 1.5 per cent cashback
MUMBAI: Swipe, tap, or scan credit is quietly slipping into the rhythm of everyday payments, and Punjab National Bank wants in on the action. The state-run lender has partnered with Kiwi to roll out credit-enabled UPI payments for its 180 million customers, marking a significant push to blend traditional banking with India’s fast-evolving digital payments ecosystem.
At the centre of the collaboration is the launch of the PNB Kiwi Credit Card on the RuPay network. The card is designed with a digital-first approach, offering fully online onboarding and seamless integration with UPI, allowing users to transact via scan-and-pay while accessing credit.
The offering also brings in a rewards layer, with cashback ranging from 0.5 per cent to 1.5 per cent on online transactions, positioning the product as both a convenience play and a spending incentive.
The move comes as UPI continues to dominate India’s digital payments landscape, increasingly blurring the lines between debit-led transactions and credit access. For PNB, which operates over 10,000 branches around 60 per cent in semi-urban and rural areas, the partnership signals a targeted effort to extend formal credit to segments that have traditionally remained underserved.
The collaboration also reflects a broader industry shift, where banks and fintech platforms are converging to embed credit directly into payment flows, reducing friction while expanding access.
With RuPay credit cards gaining traction and UPI evolving beyond peer-to-peer transfers, the PNB–Kiwi tie-up positions both players at the intersection of scale, accessibility, and the next phase of digital finance in India.
