Page 4 - Festive Season

Festive discounts remain high as carmakers rush to clear inventory

With Rakshabandhan and Ganesh Chaturthi falling during the month, the discounts are almost at a similar level as compared to last year

With the festival season near, essential tips for navigating online sales

To avoid fake discounts, no-cost EMIs, and buy now-pay later offers, go for pre-planned purchases only, and stick to the budget decided upon beforehand

Brands may push festival ad spends by up to 20%, but with an eye on RoI

Overall festival advertising expenditure could reach between ₹48,000 crore and ₹51,000 crore in 2025

Local ABS suppliers lack sufficient capacity: HMSI's Yogesh Mathur

Two-wheeler demand likely to remain tepid until festival season, says HMSI

Festive hiring likely to generate 216,000 seasonal jobs in 2025: Report

India's festive season is expected to generate over 2.16 lakh seasonal jobs in the second half of 2025, marking a 15-20 per cent year-on-year increase in gig and temporary employment, a report said on Wednesday. The rise in festive hiring is being driven by sectors, including retail, e-commerce, BFSI, logistics, hospitality, travel, and FMCG, workforce solutions firm Adecco India said in the report. Hiring activity has gained momentum in anticipation of upcoming festivals like Raksha Bandhan, Dussehra, Diwali, seasonal sales and the wedding season. Many companies are advancing their hiring cycles to stay ahead of demand and ensure operational readiness for what is expected to be a stronger-than-usual festive period. This year's hiring uptick is being driven by improved consumer sentiment, a favourable monsoon boosting rural demand, post-election economic optimism, and aggressive seasonal promotions, the report stated. This report on hiring in seasonal jobs is based on data of Adec

Early festival season may trigger fresh wave of gig hiring in FY26

Qcom alone is expected to account for a 60 per cent surge in gig hiring, adding 1.5-2 million roles, said Kartik Narayan, chief executive officer (CEO) of staffing at TeamLease

Festive lending slowed in Q3 amid strict norms, tight liquidity: Report

Personal loan originations saw a steep decline in Q1 FY25 after consistent growth up to Q3 FY24

No festival boost, media companies witness dip in ad revenue in Q3FY25

This comes after media companies reported a decline in their traditional advertising revenue in Q2 (July-September) of FY25

Q3 result preview: Rural push, launches may boost auto revenue, Ebitda

Margins may see some contraction due to promotional offers to clear inventory post festive season

After festive rush, truck rentals dip in November: Shriram Mobility report

Truck rental rates (round trips) on key trunk routes like Delhi-Chennai-Delhi and Delhi-Bengaluru-Delhi declined by 1.4 per cent

Post-festive slump: UPI volume down 7%, value drops 8% in November

In October, UPI recorded 16.58 billion transactions worth Rs 23.5 trillion-the highest since the digital payment system became operational in April 2016

Petrol, diesel consumption rebounds in November on festival demand

India's petrol and diesel consumption soared in November as the festive season reversed a fall in demand witnessed in previous months, preliminary data of state-owned firms showed on Friday. While petrol sales had shown a year-on-year increase, diesel has been a laggard since monsoon and November was the first month that saw positive growth in consumption. Petrol sales of three state-owned firms, which control 90 per cent of the fuel market, soared 8.3 per cent to 3.1 million tonnes in November compared to 2.86 million tonnes of consumption in the same month last year. Diesel demand was up 5.9 per cent to 7.2 million tonnes. Petrol and diesel sales have been tepid during the monsoon months as rains reduced vehicular movement and demand for the agriculture sector. Petrol demand however soared once rains eased but diesel consumption lagged year-on-year. Month-on-month petrol sales were up 4.7 per cent when compared to 2.96 million tonnes of consumption in October. Diesel demand was

Credit card spends rise 14.5% in October on festive season purchases

Net addition in cards in October stood at 786,337

Festive sales boost e-commerce to $14 bn GMV as tier-II+ cities lead growth

Fashion segment and electronics driven by quick commerce platforms in major cities Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore

Tier-II and Tier-III cities fuel festive season sales: ClickPost report

There has been a 49% increase in online sales during the festive season, a 10 per cent growth over the 39% witnessed in 2023, according to a report by logistics intelligence platform ClickPost

Stress, isolation, burnout: The hidden cost of festive boom on gig workers

Since Covid-19, gig work has boomed, with workers hopping from task to task, but the recognition of their challenges still lags, leaving them to navigate hurdles solo

UPI sets new record in Oct with 16.58 bn transactions worth Rs 23.5 trn

Growth in transactions driven by person to merchant transactions during festival season

Fintech firms capitalise on digital gold rush this festive season

Firms store physical gold in vaults to back up the accumulated gold stored digitally in a user's account

Indian Railway enhances security measures for passengers amid festive rush

Amid the festive rush, Indian Railways is making every effort to ensure safe travel for the passengers and avoid any untoward incidents, the Railway Ministry said on Wednesday. "Transporting people across India during Diwali and Chhath is a challenging task, but after successfully managing similar operations during Navratri and Durga Puja, Indian Railways is now fully prepared to help the commuters reach their native places for the ongoing Diwali and the upcoming Chhath celebrations," the ministry said in a press statement. It also urged the passengers that if they come across any suspicious substances on railway premises, they should inform it to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) using the designated helpline 139 and the RailMadad portal. "As Diwali approaches, bringing light, joy and a surge in travel across the country, the RPF has implemented strengthened safety measures to ensure secure and seamless train journeys for millions of passengers," the statement said. "To ensure sa

From Reliance to Unilever, firms worried about low consumer demand in India

At least 7 of India's largest companies, including RIL's retail arm and consumer bellwether Hindustan Unilever Ltd., have flagged softer consumption demand and a challenging operating environment