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Diwali Takes Its Place as the Next Big Shopping Holiday

India’s five-day festival of lights doesn’t come close to Black Friday or Singles Day in terms of overall sales, but brands see plenty of room to grow. That, plus what else to watch for in the coming week.
The religious and cultural festival of Diwali is rapidly becoming a major shopping holiday as well.
The religious and cultural festival of Diwali is rapidly becoming a major shopping holiday as well. (Getty Images)

Diwali, the five-day festival of lights that begins Sunday, is India’s biggest holiday, but local retailers haven’t leveraged the religious and cultural event to the extent that Christmas has been commercialised in the West. And it doesn’t yet stack up to the big shopping frenzies in China and the US. Last year, an Indian retail trade group estimated spending across all categories around the holiday totalled $15 billion, which sounds like a lot until you consider that Alibaba alone recorded $85 billion in Singles Day sales via its platforms in 2021.

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