In its 2025 India Festive Report, AppsFlyer revealed a fundamental shift in how marketers approach the country’s high-stakes holiday season. Once centered around a single Diwali peak, the festive window has expanded into a nine-week sequence of performance opportunities. This transformation is prompting a strategic rethinking of campaign timing, platform pacing, and post-install engagement.
The report, based on 20.5 million installs and more than 576 million dollars in user acquisition and remarketing spend, shows that high-intent behavior now continues well after Diwali. Gaming and Food and Drink apps recorded post-peak install growth of 29 percent and 16 percent respectively. Android remarketing spend in Travel rose 40 percent after the festival week. iOS Shopping engagement surged, with session volume increasing 20 percent post-Diwali, driven by extended deals and gift redemption cycles.
“India’s festive season is no longer a one-week race to Diwali,” said Sanjay Trisal, General Manager INSEA and ANZ, AppsFlyer. “It has evolved into a sustained momentum period that requires marketers to think beyond peak-week spikes. To win across this extended window, brands need to pace budgets by platform, invest in post-Diwali remarketing, and prioritize re-engagement touchpoints beyond Day 7. Android offers long-tail value when remarketing is timed right, while iOS demands sharper sequencing and early conversion. Lifecycle strategies and fraud protection must be tailored to these moments if marketers want to maximize both growth and efficiency.”
Key Findings from the India Festive Report 2025:
Gaming led post-festival install growth, but saw limited remarketing activity, signaling missed retention and monetization potential
iOS Shopping apps experienced a 20 percent rise in session volume after Diwali, highlighting untapped opportunities in reactivation and engagement
Android remarketing spend rose significantly in post-peak periods, climbing 40 percent in Travel and 26 percent in Shopping, while iOS re-engagement declined despite strong user acquisition
Top ten Shopping apps grew Share of Paying Users by 32 percent year-over-year, outperforming the category with smoother flows and stronger brand trust
Fraud rates climbed sharply post-Diwali, with Food and Drink on iOS reaching 60 percent, a 176 percent increase, and Android Entertainment rising 74 percent
“The festive season drives a significant surge in consumer demand and purchase intent, offering a prime opportunity for brands to accelerate growth by leveraging mobile and digital strategies,” said Rishad Chindamada, Vertical Head of Gaming, Tech, Health & Education at Meta. “Mobile platforms drive rapid acquisition and re-engagement, enhanced by digital penetration and AI tools optimizing campaigns. Full-funnel marketing across channels like Business Messaging and Reels ensures engagement from awareness to retention. As brands leverage data-driven insights and targeted segmentation, they can maximize festive growth and build lasting loyalty.”
Marketers should reallocate remarketing budgets to the post-Diwali period when user intent remains high but platform competition drops. Campaigns should be sequenced by platform, with Android offering long-tail performance potential and iOS requiring tighter, front-loaded acquisition timing. To retain users beyond Day 7, brands should implement segmented push campaigns and reactivation flows between Days 10 and 14. Fraud protection must also be intensified during gifting and regional peak windows, when loosened attribution controls and campaign pressure expose budgets to manipulation, as per the report.
