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Gen Z festive shoppers seek inner-circle approval before buying, GWI-Snapchat study finds
Our read
In Indian Gen Z social commerce, creators will increasingly win the shortlist, but friends and family will determine the checkout.
For operators
Build festive social-commerce journeys around shareable product proof, creator discovery and fast friend-and-family validation to convert Gen Z confidence into purchase.
Watch
Rising use of share-to-chat, collaborative wishlist or product-voting features by major Indian marketplaces and social platforms.
The report,
GWI-Snapchat research finds Indian Gen Z festive shoppers increasingly seek friends’ and family approval before buying. The study suggests brands should shift festive marketing from discovery-led visibility toward confidence-building, social conversations and longer multi-celebration planning windows.
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Channel facts
From the report. Source details below
- 7 in 10 Gen Z consumers say creator content helps product discovery
- 76% say instant feedback from trusted people improves buying confidence
- 63% share products with friends or family before purchase
- 70% view the festive season as multiple celebrations
- Nearly 4 in 10 plan Diwali purchases more than a month ahead
- 41% say most purchases are planned
- 40% combine planned and spontaneous purchases
- 65% spend the most festive time with family
- 77% interact most with family on social media
- 75% of daily Gen Z Snapchatters discuss purchases on the app while items are in their basket
- 67% say Snapchat improves festive buying confidence
What it means for online and offline
Prioritize partnerships or acquisitions in conversational commerce, creator-to-cart tooling and social proof infrastructure that help brands activate peer validation at checkout.
Signals to track
- An increase in conversion rates for shoppers arriving from messaging links versus direct creator links.
- Festive promotional calendars moving earlier, with stronger pre-sale engagement and wishlist creation.
- Brand spend shifting from pure creator reach to community management, referral incentives and conversational commerce.
- Evidence that peer-shared products have lower return rates or higher average order values than creator-discovered products.
Likely next moves
Our read of what comes next — analysis, not reported by the source.
- Build social-commerce flows that let shoppers send product cards, wishlists and carts to trusted contacts through messaging platforms.
- Move festive media and creator seeding earlier, with phased content for discovery, peer validation and conversion rather than a single sale burst.
- Pair creator content with verified customer reviews, comparison tools, return-policy clarity and delivery-date certainty.
- Measure shared-product rate, peer-assisted conversion, time from first save to purchase, and conversion by referral or messaging source.
- Use creator campaigns to generate discussion-ready assets: concise product demos, price/value explanations, gifting cues and answers to common objections.
The counter-case
The case against this reading — not reported by the source.
The study may overstate social commerce’s causal role: Gen Z respondents can say friends and family validate purchases while still completing transactions primarily through price, discounts, availability, marketplace trust and return policies. Festive shopping behavior is also unusually planning-heavy, so findings may not generalize to routine categories or non-seasonal demand.
The source
Published
First seen