# AI tools reshape India’s festive shopping and auto buying

2026-09-24T13:01:39+00:00 | Technology | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

AI is transforming how Indians shop this festive season, with an InMobi report showing four in five shoppers plan to use AI-powered assistants and three in five intend to spend over Rs 10,000. Millennials are 10 percentage points more enthusiastic about AI recommendations than Gen Z, and Tier 2 city consumers match metro shoppers with budgets of Rs 10,000-Rs 25,000, according to the report. A separate Google-Kantar study on auto buying finds 93% of car shoppers use AI-enabled platforms during research, with an average of 7.8 touchpoints before purchase. YouTube is key for discovery, while 80% of AI chatbot users also rely on Google Search and YouTube, indicating layered digital research. A Rukam Capital-YouGov report on Gen Z festive shopping finds six in ten young consumers spend more during festivals, but only 6% buy immediately after a creator recommendation. Nearly 60% use AI for product research, though fewer than half would let AI make final decisions. Quick-commerce is used by 28% of Gen Z shoppers.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

All three sources offer neutral-report coverage, each focused on different segments: InMobi on overall festive trends, Google-Kantar on auto purchases, and Rukam-YouGov on Gen Z behaviour. The common thread is that AI is a research tool, not a replacement for human judgement. The InMobi report highlights premium spending and Tier 2 city growth, while the Rukam study underscores Gen Z's trust in their own research over influencers. The Google-Kantar data confirms that digital research complements, not substitutes, family input. The NIQ Insight Summit finding of 92% urban shoppers using AI and JioStar's projected 46% jump in average festive transaction size to Rs 24,020 will be key numbers to track this season.

## Coverage

- economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report) <https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/retail/india-festive-shopping-about-to-change-as-ai-and-robots-lend-helping-hand-ai-shopping-assistants-premium-spending-trends-inmobi/articleshow/134456608.cms>
  Presents InMobi report data on AI adoption and spending trends without editorial comment
- thehindu.com (neutral report) <https://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/ai-redefines-indias-auto-buying-journey-google-kantar-study/article71503708.ece>
  Reports Google-Kantar study findings on auto buying journey with no slant
- thehindubusinessline.com (neutral report) <https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/gen-z-opens-its-wallet-for-festivals-but-keeps-its-research-hat-on-report/article71504484.ece>
  Conveys Rukam-YouGov Gen Z spending and research habits straight

Tags: Flipkart, Google, InMobi, Kantar, Myntra, YouTube
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