e-commerce
Rs 20000 plus shoppers steal the spotlight in MiQ festive trends 2025
MUMBAI: When it comes to India’s great shopping season, wallets aren’t just opening, they’re positively bursting. Global programmatic media partner Miq’s Festive Shopper Insights 2025 Report finds that nearly half of consumers are gearing up to spend over Rs 20,000 this Diwali, reshaping how brands plan campaigns in the country’s most competitive retail quarter.
Based on a survey of 4,800 festive enthusiasts, the report spotlights four key shifts. First up: the rise of the Rs 20,000 plus confident spender. About 43 per cent of shoppers, largely 25–34 year olds from Tier I and II cities, are ready to splurge on everything from electronics to limited-edition launches fuelled by discounts, cashback, and influencer-led Fomo. They’re digitally fluent, research six weeks in advance, and make Youtube and social platforms their hunting grounds for deals.
The second shift is a brand discovery boom. With 45 per cent of consumers open to trying new names, this Diwali levels the playing field between D2C challengers and established giants. Expect AR try-ons, influencer reviews, and viral campaigns to drive choice. Third, advertisers themselves are going early launching campaigns 30 plus days ahead of the festival. Programmatic video, shoppable social, and OTT dominate, though CPMs continue to climb. Finally, regional aspirations are shaping purchase lists: North and Central India eye cars and appliances, South and East want tractors and jewellery despite gold prices, and urban buyers keep gold in vogue as an investment.
“Festive season is no longer just about shopping, it is about cultural moments amplified by media,” said MiQ chief commercial officer India Varun Mohan. “The new Indian shopper is confident, experimental and digitally led. For brands, the mandate is clear launch earlier, speak authentically across regions, and embrace a full-funnel approach.”
With CPM inflation and fiercer competition for eyeballs, marketers will need more than deep pockets to win. As MiQ’s report shows, this Diwali isn’t just about lights and laddoos, it’s about who shines brightest in the brand bazaar.
e-commerce
ONDC names Vibhor Jain MD and CEO; Rohit Lohia joins as CBO, Manoj Thakur as CTO
Leadership formalised as open commerce network sharpens focus on scale and user value
The Open Network for Digital Commerce has formalised Vibhor Jain as managing director and chief executive officer, cementing a leadership transition at India’s ambitious open commerce platform as it pushes for scale and relevance.
Jain, who had been serving as acting chief executive officer since April last year following the exit of Thampy Koshy, steps into the role with effect from 7th April , according to a report by The Economic Times. He previously served as chief operating officer at the government-backed network, which enables buyers and sellers to transact across applications through an open, interoperable system.
Setting out his strategy, Jain underscored the network’s differentiated architecture. “Going forward, we are concentrating on what open, interoperable infrastructure can uniquely enable, things that no single platform has the incentive or the architecture to do,” he said.
He added that the immediate priority is to widen ONDC’s impact across user cohorts often underserved by platform-led commerce. “My priority is to deepen the value ONDC creates for the people it exists to serve: kisaans, karigars, kiranas, gig workers, first-time investors, and daily commuters across India,” he said.
Jain also flagged leadership reinforcement within the organisation, noting that ONDC has “a strong and exciting leadership team in place”, with Rohit Lohia joining as chief business officer and Manoj Thakur as chief technology officer.
With over 18 years of experience spanning entrepreneurship and consulting, Jain brings a track record in technology-led, large-scale transformation programmes and internet businesses. At ONDC, he has been closely involved in shaping strategy and operations as the network seeks to move digital commerce away from platform-centric models towards an open network approach.
Before ONDC, Jain worked with JUMO, where he helped set up the fintech firm’s India operations, and led the India launch of Mobike, handling regulatory, policy and operational aspects of its market entry. Earlier, he co-founded Atlanta Healthcare, an air quality management company, and spent more than a decade in consulting roles at Andersen and EY, advising governments on public policy and technology-driven reforms, including work on the Aadhaar programme and tax systems.
The mandate is clear but the path is complex. As ONDC attempts to rewrite the rules of digital commerce, Jain now carries the burden of turning open architecture into mass adoption, in a market still dominated by platform power.
