Gen Z’s festive shopping decisions moving into inner circle: Snapchat’s Jayati Somani

India’s Gen Z is becoming an increasingly important consumer cohort, but the way brands reach them may need a rethink, according to Jayati Somani, Head of Industry – eCommerce, Travel & Casual Gaming, Snap Inc.

Speaking at a Spotlight Session titled ‘Gen Z Shopping Circles: Inside Young India’s New Festive Funnel’ at the Pitch CMO Summit, Somani said India has around 377 million Gen Z people, making it the country’s largest generation. The cohort is already driving a significant share of consumption in India, with its collective spending power standing at around $860 billion and projected to reach $2 trillion by 2035.

Somani also pointed out that Gen Z is broader than the conventional image of a 19- or 20-year-old college student. She described the cohort as spanning 14 to 28 years, including young couples, newly married consumers and first-job seekers.

As this generation’s spending power grows, brands are also facing a different challenge: capturing and retaining attention in an increasingly cluttered media environment.

“Just because someone saw your ad does not mean that they remember your brand. So just a couple of numbers to throw at you. 400 plus videos consumed every day by Gen Z and 34% lower attention on conventional digital platforms,” Somani said.

Gen Z consumers are exposed to more than 400 videos a day, while attention on conventional digital platforms is 34% lower, she said. This is challenging the traditional marketing playbook, where brands would interrupt consumers with advertising and rely on repetition to make a message stick.

The shift is particularly pronounced because Gen Z develops an “ad skip reflex” much faster than older generations, Somani said. She noted that Gen Z users identify advertising faster than millennials and boomers, prompting brands to experiment with forced humour, fleeting trends and shock value to capture attention.

However, such attempts can also put younger audiences off when they feel disconnected from the way Gen Z actually communicates.

For the festive season, Somani suggested that brands rethink how they approach storytelling, particularly by understanding where purchase decisions are actually being made.

From broad networks to close-knit circles

Somani contrasted the large social networks users built on earlier platforms with the stronger preference for close-knit circles that Snapchat sees among Gen Z users.

For this audience, decisions are increasingly made within an immediate or inner circle of friends and family. A consumer trying on an outfit in a mall, for instance, may send a picture to their friends before deciding whether to buy it. The same dynamic can apply to products such as cosmetics, as well as decisions around concerts and vacations.

Somani said 81% of Gen Z consumers rely on their inner circle for shopping decisions, while 63% share products with each other before making a purchase.

This makes Snapchat function as a kind of digital trial room, where consumers can discuss and validate purchase decisions with people closest to them.

The behaviour also extends to the point of purchase. Somani said 75% of Gen Z Daily Snapchatters chat with their friends on Snapchat while an item is in their basket, highlighting the role of conversation in the final stages of the purchase journey.

“One is built for the inner circle. So don't just build for everyone. Build for where the purchase decisions are going to happen. So 81% of Gen Zs rely on the inner circle for shopping decisions. Be there. Be present,” Somani said.

A more personal festive experience

Somani also highlighted the distinction between Snapchat’s role in consumers’ lives and more curated social media environments.

While users may share a polished festive photograph on other platforms, Snapchat often captures the moments leading up to it -  getting ready, decorating the house and sharing those experiences with a close circle. The platform, she said, is more about being authentic and in the moment rather than presenting a highly curated version of an occasion.

That behaviour becomes particularly relevant during festivals. Somani said Gen Z users want festive celebrations to feel more personal, with less pressure and greater freedom to be themselves.

Snapchat also sees usage surges around key occasions such as Holi, Mother’s Day, Rakhi, Friendship Day and Diwali. During these periods, the festive experience extends across the app, from the camera and content to chat features, stickers and Bitmoji.

Snapchat has more than 250 million monthly active users in India. The company says 90% of its daily users in the country are aged 13-34.

On average, Somani said, a Snapchat user opens the app 30 times a day. She also said 44% of Gen Z users open Snapchat before any of their other messaging apps, with the platform being used while commuting, during breaks at work or college, and for conversations and content consumption. 

The platform’s camera-first experience, followed by conversation and content consumption, also shapes how users engage with it. Snap Maps, meanwhile, allows users to see what their closest friends are doing and where they are, and is also used to find one another at events such as concerts.

Brands as part of the conversation

For marketers, Somani said the opportunity lies in becoming part of these interactions rather than simply inserting an advertisement into the consumer journey.

She cited Snapchat’s Friendship Day collaboration with Swiggy as an example. Swiggy created an offer specifically for Snapchat users and partnered with the platform for a takeover. Users encountered Swiggy across Stories, Snaps and AR, alongside a customised offer available to consumers coming from Snapchat.

The campaign reached 66 million users in a single day and generated 60,000 incremental transactions, according to Somani.

She closed with three principles for brands looking to engage Gen Z during the festive season: build for the inner circle where purchase decisions happen; be present in a space where Gen Z can feel themselves during festive periods; and move from interrupting consumers to co-creating with them.