India Festive Report: 2025

The Indian festive season has transitioned into a multi-phase growth cycle, characterized by sustained user activity that begins during Navratri and extends well beyond the Diwali peak. This period serves as a critical window for mobile growth, evidenced by a 22% surge in non-organic installs during the initial festive phase. Following the holiday, specific sectors continue to experience notable momentum, with gaming installs rising by 29% and food and drink applications seeing a 16% increase. Despite these gains, many brands struggle to maintain momentum, frequently underinvesting in remarketing strategies that are essential for nurturing long-term user retention and maximizing monetization after the primary holiday window closes.

A significant challenge accompanying this high-intent period is the sharp escalation of fraudulent activity. Post-Diwali, fraud rates have reached concerning levels, peaking at 60% for iOS food and drink applications and 74% for Android entertainment platforms. These figures underscore an urgent need for more rigorous verification measures and sophisticated fraud protection protocols to safeguard advertising investments during high-traffic windows. The data suggests that the current industry approach often prioritizes initial acquisition at the expense of post-peak engagement and security.

To optimize performance in the evolving Indian market, stakeholders must shift their focus toward a more balanced lifecycle strategy. Success requires reallocating budgets to prioritize post-peak remarketing, synchronizing platform-specific tactics, and implementing robust fraud mitigation tools. By refining these operational strategies, advertisers can better capitalize on the extended festive growth cycle and improve the overall quality of their user base. These insights emphasize the necessity of data-driven measurement and creative optimization to navigate the complexities of the Indian mobile ecosystem effectively.