Festive Sale Fever: The five-point checklist to outsmart your brain despite dopamine, FOMO and digital design
Dopamine, FOMO and digital design: What’s really driving India’s festival shopping rush and how to shop smarter
The festival known to light up the country's bazaars now lights up its browsers too. Every October, India’s e-commerce platforms turn the festive season into a shopping carnival. Flipkart’s ‘Big Billion Days’ and Amazon’s ‘Great Indian Festival’ are now as much a part of Diwali as sweets and lights.
The numbers are mind-boggling. Amazon logged 1.1 billion visits last year, while Flipkart saw 1.4 billion, according to AIPDMA . Market Xcel expects this year’s online festive sales to top $12 billion, up 23% from 2024.
Behind those record numbers lies a quieter story: a tug-of-war between excitement and restraint; between the thrill of a deal and the small voice that asks, “Do I really need this?"
The Science of the Sale
That buzz after snagging a deal isn’t imagination, it’s chemistry. Each time you buy something rewarding, the brain releases dopamine, the neurotransmitter that fuels pleasure and anticipation. “As soon as we find something pleasurable or rewarding, the brain releases dopamine and signals that this feels amazing," says psychologist Nishtha Jain.
Retailers build their apps around that response. Flash sales, countdown timers and spin-the-wheel coupons create variable rewards—unpredictable hits that make shoppers keep coming back. Add urgency (“Only 2 left!") and exclusivity (“Prime members get early access"), and rational thought takes a back seat. What we chase isn’t the product itself, but the feeling of winning.
Culture and Celebration
In India, festive buying carries its own moral permission slip. Purchasing new things during Diwali or Dussehra feels like renewal, not indulgence. Psychologists call this moral licensing: spending that feels virtuous when tied to family or gifting.
E-tailers know the emotion well. Campaigns promise “Happiness delivered" or “Family upgrade week." When shopping feels like love, budgets stretch easily. Social proof adds more pressure: friends post their “hauls", apps flash “10,000 people bought this today"—and suddenly restraint looks outdated. In a culture where prosperity is shared publicly, FOMO becomes the most persuasive salesman.
How Retailers Keep You Hooked
Behind every sale is careful choreography. Flash deals, limited-stock alerts and ticking clocks are engineered to rush decisions. That countdown does what no salesperson can: it whispers that hesitation means loss.
Then come the personalized nudges. A day before the sale, your phone pings - “Your favourite phone is now 20% off." It feels personal, but it’s data. Gamified features, coupon wheels and reward coins—add tiny dopamine hits, keeping users scrolling longer.
“Buy 2, get 1 free" and “Free shipping over ₹999" blur saving and spending. Celebrity and influencer endorsements turn shopping into a shared celebration. With most purchases happening on mobile, these subtle prompts follow us everywhere: at work, on commutes, even before bed.
The Money Side of Impulse
Impulse spending looks harmless, but its cost adds up.
As Value Research Online notes, friction-free digital payments are quietly weakening India’s saving habits, especially among young earners. No cash changes hands: no pause reminds you of value lost. The brief thrill of buying replaces the small pain of paying. Over time, that shift rewires how we handle money: emotion overrides intention.
How to Stay in Control
Control isn’t about giving festive joy a miss; it’s about keeping calm when everything around you urges the opposite.
The smartest shoppers aren’t those who never buy, but those who know when to stop. When a deal flashes, wait. Sleep on it. Most “urgent" desires fade by morning. A little distance often separates a need from an impulse.
Use the TAPER checklist—a five-step pause before checkout:
T - Timing: Have I wanted this for long, or did I just see it?
A - Affordability: Can I buy it comfortably, without guilt or debt?
P - Purpose: Is it genuinely useful, or simply exciting now?
E - Emotion: Am I buying to celebrate or to fill boredom?
R - Regret: Will I regret not buying, or buying later?
If even one answer raises doubt, step back. Add small frictions: delete saved cards, mute sale alerts, log out after browsing. Those few seconds of extra effort restore mindfulness.
And when temptation surges, try “surfing the urge". Notice it, breathe through it and let it pass. Like a wave, it peaks and fades if you don’t react. Setting a fixed shopping budget before the sales begin turns splurging into planned pleasure, not stress.
The Quiet Lesson
Festive sales are now woven into India’s cultural rhythm: part celebration, part psychology, part marketing. But for all their sparkle, they remind us of something older than e-commerce: peace of mind beats any discount.
So this Diwali, browse the deals and buy what matters, but do it with intention. Because the best “festival offer" isn’t glowing on your screen: it’s the calm that comes from knowing you’re in control.
Simarjeet Singh is assistant professor at Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurgaon; Sanchita Kuchi is associate professor at the same institute.
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