The Festive Push: How policy shifts and influencers are driving big-ticket purchases

With just 34 days left for Dhanteras and 36 days until Diwali, India is entering its peak season for luxury purchases. From gold, silver, and jewellery to electronics, automobiles, and premium gadgets, these festivals are closely tied to prosperity and status. Increasingly, social media creators are becoming trust proxies in this space—particularly in Tier II and Tier III cities—where their word often carries more weight than star ratings or traditional reviews.

Dhanteras traditionally sees demand for gold and silver coins, jewellery, brass and copper utensils, and new gadgets or vehicles to usher in good fortune. The festive calendar is also stacked with Karwa Chauth, Navratri, and Durga Puja, each driving purchases in categories such as luxury electronics, jewellery, and home goods. Unlike static product reviews, creators demonstrate utility in everyday settings—whether a vlogger testing smartphones during commutes or an auto influencer navigating city traffic—bridging the gap between aspiration and practicality.

Festivals Driving Aspirational Buys

While automobiles dominate Dhanteras spending, luxury conversations online now extend to ethnic couture, watches, high-end smartphones, travel, sneakers, and fragrances. Watches have re-emerged as lifestyle statements, travel content increasingly features private aviation and curated retreats, and premium sneakers are driving resale hype. iPhones and tech accessories remain staples, while fragrance unboxings and jewellery styling reels continue to fetch high engagement.

Digital creator Abhinav Yadav (@aka_createyourtaste, 1.9M followers) underlined how creators shorten purchase cycles. “When a buyer reads reviews, one positive pushes them towards purchase and one negative pulls them back. With creators, belongingness and accountability are built over years, so conversion happens faster,” he told e4m.

Read more on the creator economy

A new Qoruz report reinforces this trend. Between January 2024 and July 2025, over 460,800 auto-related posts generated 3.3 billion engagements with an average engagement rate of 2.23%. More than half of this came from micro-influencers, with Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru leading creator activity. Nearly 34% of buyers now start their car research on YouTube or Instagram, and 54% confirmed they purchased a vehicle based on creator recommendations.

GST revisions are also shaping luxury spending. According to Yadav, price cuts in some car segments directly drove purchases after months of consumer hesitation. “Many held back waiting for GST changes. Now, with revised slabs, buyers are moving quickly,” he said. However, increased levies on luxury cars have slowed certain categories.

Creators who specialise in finance are translating these shifts into relatable terms. Chartered accountant and content creator Isha Jaiswal explained: “When GST rates change, audiences want clarity on the new on-road price or EMI. Creators broke down how much cheaper models like the Nissan Magnite or Mercedes became post-GST 2.0, which immediately triggered bookings.”

Most of the automotive brands are passing on the full GST reform benefits to buyers. Depending on the brand and model, GST 2.0 has ensured price cuts of up to Rs 30.4 lakh (ex-showroom). 

Balancing Short-Term Gains with Long-Term Equity

Even as influencer-led campaigns dominate digital budgets, new data from Kantar highlights a critical gap. Only 7% of influencer campaigns make it into the top 30% of ads that build long-term brand equity, compared with 32% for general digital advertising. While influencers outperform in short-term sales likelihood—with 73% of campaigns sitting in the mid percentile—they lag in durable brand-building measures.

Influencer ads deliver just a 3% lift in aided brand awareness compared to 8% for digital ads, and 2% in message association versus 8%. Yet, they excel in mid- to lower-funnel performance: brand attribute perception rises 10% with influencer content versus 7% for digital ads, and purchase intent grows 7% compared to 6%.

Attention retention also sets influencers apart. The average skip time for influencer content is 17.8 seconds, more than double branded ads at 7.9 seconds. Visibility duration is 1.4 times higher. According to a Kantar global study, 67% of people trust influencer recommendations more than traditional ads, underscoring why they remain powerful in engagement-led marketing.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by FlipkartTechSpert (@flipkarttechspert)

Real Estate and Lifestyle Expansion

The influence extends beyond automobiles. Yadav recalled how a southern influencer sold apartments in “double digits” by documenting her home-buying journey, with her community aspiring to live in the same complex. In Tier II and Tier III markets, creators are showcasing apartments, plots, and homes, bypassing brokers and speaking directly to potential buyers.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Urban Turban Realtors : Navdeep Khanuja (@urbanturbanrealtors)

For categories such as EVs and luxury cars, influencers often demystify concerns around charging, resale, and duties. Jaiswal noted that creators comparing running costs or showcasing charging maps helped turn Tesla and Mercedes from aspirational symbols into perceived attainable purchases.

Rahat Khan, Co-Founder, Fame Keeda, said: “Policy shifts like GST cuts may seem macro, but when an influencer explains that a car is ₹50,000 cheaper overnight, the impact feels real. The message becomes less about taxation and more about affordability. Regional creators especially become role models, showing their communities that luxury is within reach.”

According to Hemangi Rao, Associate Manager, Brand Solutions at Clout, “Luxury watches, fine jewellery, and experiential travel are dominating conversations. Watches thrive on heritage storytelling, jewellery on craftsmanship and personal styling, and travel on curated, aspirational getaways. People don’t just look to creators for inspiration, they use them as filters of trust before high-value spends.”

On the luxury couture side, influencer couple Vishnu Kaushal and Diksha Rawat recently fronted a campaign for KALKI Fashion, showcasing premium ethnic and couture wear.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Diksha Rawat (@diksharawat22)

Suneil Chawla, Co-founder, Influencer.in, said, “Luxury collaborations often see lower engagement rates because high-value buyers are less likely to comment or interact publicly, but that doesn’t mean the content isn’t effective. For luxury brands, metrics like audience quality and brand fit outweigh vanity numbers. What really differentiates these campaigns is the aspirational storytelling—professional shoots, curated experiences, and exclusivity."

"While some collaborations involve barter or experiential benefits, most luxury brands do pay, though creators themselves are often willing to absorb additional production costs just to be associated with these names. In fact, the incremental spend is typically just 10–15% higher for the elevated production, not the collaboration itself. At the same time, brands are becoming more rigorous in measuring real impact—moving beyond likes and comments to asking tough questions about brand lift, awareness, and purchase intent. And as formats like micro-dramas and platform shifts from Meta to YouTube gain traction, India’s influencer economy is only becoming more layered and complex,” he said.