Indian online stores that did not show any detected preparation activity ahead of Diwali 2025 saw orders decline by 13.1%, according to a study by web hosting company Hostinger. In contrast, stores that began making changes 8–21 days before the festival recorded the strongest order growth, at 19.2%.
The research analysed 6,910 Indian ecommerce stores during Diwali 2025, comparing their October orders with their average performance from July to September that year. The findings point to an association between advance festive preparation and stronger order performance.
Only 22% of the stores analysed showed preparation activity before Diwali, while the remaining 78% had no such activity detected. Among stores that skipped preparation, 53% recorded order declines of more than 20%.
The study considered activities such as product updates, discounts or coupon offers, and changes to payment methods. Hosting, server and website-speed upgrades were excluded from the analysis.
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Timing of festive preparation matters
The findings suggest that the relationship between preparation and order growth was not linear. Stores that first showed preparation activity 8–21 days before Diwali recorded the strongest growth, with 55% reporting an increase in orders of more than 20%.
Meanwhile, stores that began preparing 22–35 days before the festival recorded broadly flat order growth of 0.5%. Those whose first detected activity occurred in the final seven days before Diwali saw orders rise 6.7%, although 24% of this group experienced declines of more than 20%.
Stores with no detected preparation activity recorded the highest share of steep order declines, with 53% seeing orders fall by more than 20%.
“Diwali is one of the biggest moments of the year for Indian online sellers, but it takes more than festive discounts to make the most of it,” said Justinas Vaičiulis, product marketing lead at Hostinger.
He added that sellers need to make it easier for customers to discover products, understand offers and complete purchases, beyond simply attracting attention through discounts.
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Study points to gaps in festive readiness
The findings are part of a broader Hostinger research project covering around 50,000 online stores globally during Black Friday 2025.
For the India analysis, stores were grouped according to when their earliest detected preparation activity took place: 22–35 days before Diwali, 8–21 days before, one to seven days before, or no detected activity.
Hostinger said the findings show an association between visible commercial preparation and stronger festive order performance, rather than establishing a direct causal link. The timing categories indicate when activity was first detected and should not be interpreted as a definitive preparation schedule for all online sellers.
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First Published on October 27, 2026, 17:31:02 IST
