Online ads most effective to promote festive shopping: Study

Online has become the most influential advertising medium for retailers to woo customers this festive season, according to a customer sentiment index. The Retailers Association of India (RAI) in partnership with LitmusWorld found that online influenced 69 per cent of consumers were influenced to shop after seeing ads on social media. Television ads came second with a share of 39 per cent followed by newspaper ads at 35 per cent.

The index, in which 50,000 consumers participated, found that online was the most preferred channel for shopping, with 65 per cent followed by malls with 64 per cent. Discounts also influence the purchasing decision with 60 per cent consumers wanting this.

It noted that clothes dominated the shopping category with 66 per cent, followed by electronics (45 per cent) and mobiles (38 per cent). Consumers are also keen to splurge this festive season, it said, with as many as 25 per cent willing to spend between Rs 15,000 and Rs 30,000 and 20 per cent wanting to spend Rs 30,000 to 1,00,000, while 11 per cent are willing to spend more than Rs 1 lakh this festive season.

Credit cards were the most preferred mode of payment with 42 per cent, while debit cards were at 26 per cent followed by cash at 19 per cent.