Once upon a time, Diwali was the big tentpole for retail in India: new clothes, sweets, and last-minute gift run that defined the shopping calendar. But that dominance is evolving fast. As more global retail trends influence the Indian marketplace, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are emerging as serious contenders in the festive commerce timeline. The question is no longer whether these events arrive in India, but whether they are truly working.
According to recent data from a study commissioned by Meta (with help from its partners Alvarez & Marsal India and Kantar), Indians are increasingly treating Black Friday and Cyber Monday not as foreign anomalies but as welcomed bookends to a long, rolling festive sale season stretching from mid-year until New Year. With a digitally-savvy population constantly scrolling for the next great find, these events have earned their place in the Indian shopping psyche.
And the numbers on influence are striking. According to the report, 58% of shoppers said social platforms significantly influenced their holiday buying decisions, and 79% of those who discovered products there went on to purchase them. Discovery is no longer random luck, it’s algorithmically tailored, socially validated, and often irresistible.
Retailers certainly feel the impact. “Black Friday 2025 on Amazon.in is witnessing strong customer demand across categories. Mobile phones, TVs, large appliances and consumer electronics are seeing exceptional traction, further accelerated by the positive impact of recent GST reforms. We remain committed to offering unmatched value and a seamless shopping experience as we continue to innovate with our partners and bring the best selection to customers across India,” said Saurabh Srivastava, Vice President, Amazon India.
But industry voices are cautious about reading too much into the surge. The biggest shift, they say, is how Black Friday fits into the overall purchase journey rather than how big it gets on the day itself. “From what we saw across the brands we work with, Black Friday did not behave like a single spike this year. It acted more like a reorganised buying window,” said Mayur Gole, Co-Founder, Verve Media.
So did Black Friday drive new demand or simply pull forward sales that would have happened anyway? That depends on the category.
In fashion and lifestyle, the event appears to have brought incremental growth. Social media hype played the role of matchmaker connecting hesitant customers with brands they might never have interacted with otherwise. Experts say a lot of new users came in because the discovery of Black Friday became easier through social media. People do not just shop. They share, compare and talk about deals with friends. It created new intent, not just shifted it.
That sentiment reflects what major players are seeing in-store as well. “Black Friday as a promotional event has picked up a lot of traction in India. It is an event of high offers for a weekend, and we also find much higher footfalls at malls during this event. We are also participating in this event with some extreme value offerings across some of our stores, and this is helping us to attract some new customers.” said a spokesperson from BIBA.
But in high-ticket electronics, the story flips. Most consumers had already researched, bookmarked, and visited product pages multiple times before discounts appeared. “But in categories like electronics and high-ticket items, it was mostly demand getting pulled forward. These customers already knew what they wanted. Black Friday simply gave them the final nudge.” said Mayur. “The value was real, but uneven. Some brands grew the pie. Others just rearranged it.” He added.
This uneven performance highlights a deeper truth; the biggest battleground today is not during sale season but in the months before it. Browsing has become entertainment. Consumers scroll out of habit, not necessity; they watch hauls for fun; they curate wishlists like mood boards; they collect reels like reminders of future desire.
By the time the sale arrives, the emotional purchase has already happened. The discount becomes permission, not persuasion.
"For Zed Black, the surge comes during Big Billion Days, Great Indian Festival and Diwali, when we fulfilled over 2,500 orders daily. Black Friday doesn’t bring the same spike but sales remain steady and this year too, sales stayed steady without any notable increase. Even so, the occasion allows Zed Black to stay connected with shoppers who appreciate simple, value-led purchases." said Ankit Agrawal, Director, Mysore Deep Perfumery House (MDPH) & Zed Black.
Consumers today see the browsing phase as its own form of entertainment, endless scrolling, adding to wishlists, saving reels, and swapping product videos with friends. By the time a sale arrives, they’ve already decided what they want, the discount simply gives them the green signal to buy.
So, it’s not about increasing price sensitivity. It’s about activating intent.
This trend is especially visible among Gen Z and urban millennials, they’re not waiting for prices to drop, they’re just waiting for the right moment to hit checkout.
Which brings us back to the big question: Did Black Friday work in India this year?
Yes, but selectively.
It boosted omnichannel fashion, introduced new consumers to brands, sparked discovery, and created conversations. But in categories like electronics, where demand already existed, it merely changed the date of purchase.
The takeaway for marketers is clear: the future of festive shopping in India won’t be defined by one cultural event. It will be shaped by the interplay of hyper-social discovery, long-term desire building, and well-timed triggers. Black Friday may not replace Diwali, but it is no longer an outsider on the retail calendar.
In a world where shopping journeys begin in a social feed, stretch across weeks, and end with a single click, the year’s biggest festival of deals might arrive not with diyas and ladoos but with a push notification and the thrill of beating the clock.
