Maximizing festive season conversions in India with drive-to-store solutions

India’s festive season isn’t just about celebration—it’s a retail phenomenon. In 2025, total festive spending is projected to reach INR 3.9 lakh crore, marking a massive 46.6% growth compared to the previous year (source). This surge spans both urban hubs and Tier-2/3 cities, highlighting the nationwide scale of festive shopping (source). Consumers today are embracing omnichannel shopping, blending online research with offline store visits, making it critical for brands to track, influence, and convert across all touchpoints.

The modern festive shopper

In India, festive shoppers follow two distinct paths. Some are In-Store First Shoppers, who relish the experience of wandering through malls, cafes, and retail outlets, touching, trying, and comparing products before making a choice.  On the other hand, Online-First Shoppers lean on convenience and speed, often turning to quick commerce and hyperlocal delivery apps for last-minute festive purchases. Together, these two groups paint a picture of India’s dynamic festive retail landscape, where physical and digital worlds intertwine (source.)

This multi-screen behavior makes CTV, DOOH, and mobile critical channels for festive campaigns. 50–55% of annual ad budgets are expected to be allocated to this period in 2025, with a 13% increase in festive ad spend compared to 2024 (source).

Understanding drive-to-store advertising: Turning festive buzz into foot traffic

The festive season is more than lights, sweets, and celebrations—it’s when stores come alive with shoppers hunting for the perfect gift or festive treat. But how do brands ensure their digital campaigns translate into real-world foot traffic? That’s where drive-to-store advertising comes in. It transforms casual digital engagement into meaningful in-store visits by combining location intelligence, real-time programmatic bidding, and precise measurement. During the festive rush, it’s not just about showing an ad, it’s about proving its impact and optimizing every step of the shopper’s journey.

What is drive-to-store?

Drive-to-store is a marketing strategy built to bring shoppers from their screens to your store. By leveraging real-time location intelligence, brands can serve personalized, context-aware ads to consumers based on where they are, whether near your store or even a competitor’s. During festive peaks, these messages can entice shoppers with exclusive offers, time-sensitive discounts, or festive-themed promotions that feel relevant and timely.

Dynamic tools like interactive maps, digital coupons, weather-triggered messages, and real-time inventory updates make the experience even more engaging. And, of course, all campaigns are privacy-compliant, giving customers a personalized journey without compromising data security.

At its core, drive-to-store is about turning a fleeting ad impression into a “I need to check this out in person” moment, connecting digital excitement with real-world action.

Measuring what matters: Precision during the festive rush

Foot traffic measurement isn’t one-size-fits-all. At mediasmart, we go beyond simply counting store visits—our incrementality methodology helps brands understand the true impact of their campaigns. Just seeing someone walk into a store doesn’t mean your ad influenced them. By comparing those who saw the ad with those who didn’t, we can reveal the real lift your campaigns deliver.

This approach allows brands to filter the real impact of their efforts, identifying which store visits were actually driven by advertising rather than organic traffic. It also helps track how audiences interact across different channels mobile, desktop, CTV, and DOOH and how those interactions translate into in-store actions. Ultimately, it removes the guesswork, enabling brands to make data-backed decisions and invest in strategies that truly work.

The festive advantage

The result? A crystal-clear view of how digital campaigns drive foot traffic, making the difference between hoping an ad worked and knowing it did. During festivals, this means every campaign dollar is optimized to capture shoppers at the exact right moment, guiding them from curiosity to checkout, and turning festive interest into measurable, revenue-driving action.

Festive omnichannel campaigns: Turning screens into store visits

During the festive season, shoppers hop effortlessly between digital and physical worlds—scrolling on their phones, watching TV specials, noticing eye-catching billboards, and visiting stores. For brands, this is the golden window to turn digital engagement into real-world footfall using a coordinated omnichannel approach across CTV, mobile, and DOOH, powered by smart drive-to-store strategies.

Connected TV (CTV): Capturing Attention on the Big Screen

Festive storytelling shines brightest on large screens. OTT platforms, FAST channels, and home TVs allow brands to showcase high-impact, immersive content that captures viewers’ attention during special programming. mediasmart’s platform reaches over 525 FAST channels and regional OTTs, providing brand-safe and hyper-targeted access to the right audiences.

Advanced tools like Household Sync link CTV ad exposure to mobile or app retargeting, nudging viewers toward further engagement. Meanwhile, Creative Sync enables interactive QR codes, dynamic animations, and context-aware content—for instance, weather-based festive offers or a QR code that, when scanned, takes the viewer directly to a store location landing page—ensuring audiences move seamlessly from on-screen inspiration to in-store action.

Mobile: Personal, real-time engagement

Shoppers often pair TV viewing with mobile browsing, making smartphones a critical touchpoint. During festive campaigns, rich media formats can deliver personalized promotions, store locators, or limited-time offers, driving immediate action. By reaching users when they are most receptive—checking product availability or planning visits—mobile ads guide shoppers closer to the point of purchase, bridging digital intent with physical behavior.

DOOH & Drive-to-Store: Turning awareness into action

Digital Out-of-Home ads in high-footfall areas such as malls, airports, and busy streets reinforce messaging seen on TV or mobile. By combining real-time GPS, geospatial targeting, and contextual insights, drive-to-store solutions ensure that ads are relevant and timely, directing shoppers to nearby stores.

This orchestration of screens—CTV, mobile, and DOOH—ensures that festive curiosity is transformed into measurable footfall, conversions, and higher ROI.
A coordinated multi-screen strategy lets brands meet shoppers wherever they are, guiding them from awareness to purchase. By leveraging the precision of drive-to-store technology, festive campaigns become more than just advertising—they become a seamless, interactive experience that links digital storytelling to tangible, in-store results.

Practical scenario: Omnichannel festive journey in action

Meet Amit, a 30-year-old shopper in Bangalore, ready to upgrade his home this festive season. While enjoying a Diwali special on his favorite OTT platform, he notices an interactive CTV ad from a leading home appliance brand. The ad features a QR code linking directly to the nearest store. Curious, Amit scans it and lands on the store’s location page.
The very next day, as he walks past his office, a digital billboard (DOOH) flashes the same product and festive offer, reinforcing his awareness and making the brand top-of-mind.
Later, Amit’s journey continues on his mobile, where he receives a rich media ad highlighting store directions and a limited-time discount. He clicks through, checks stock availability, and makes his way to the store.

Amit’s experience highlights the power of multi-screen campaigns driven by location intelligence. By seamlessly connecting CTV, DOOH, and mobile touchpoints, curiosity turns into action—boosting both store footfall and festive conversions for the brand.

Creative strategies for drive-to-store success

To maximize festive conversions, brands can deploy:

• Interactive CTV Ads with QR Codes: Link viewers directly to store pages, app sections, or product listings, bridging screens to stores.
• Rich Media Creatives with GPS Integration: Show real-time store locations, directions, and stock availability directly in the ad.
• Dynamic Campaigns: Update content based on location, weather, and peak traffic hours, keeping messaging fresh and timely.
• Time-Sensitive Mobile Ads: Deliver personalized offers to shoppers near stores, creating urgency and driving immediate visits.

Data-Driven targeting for maximum festive impact

Advanced targeting combines offline signals like foot traffic and movement patterns with online behaviors such as app usage, device type, and location. This powerful mix enables brands to identify high-intent audiences based on purchase patterns, spending segments, or regional preferences—making campaigns hyper-relevant across retail, automotive, FMCG, and travel sectors.

With mediasmart’s state-of-the-art multi-screen and location-based solutions, leading brands like KFC, Pizza Hut and Raymonds have successfully bridged online and offline journeys—reaching consumers at the right place and time, driving store visits, and boosting sales during key occasions. Every interaction, whether a product is viewed online, spotted on a DOOH screen, or purchased in-store, can be tracked, measured, and optimized for real business impact.

Festive wrap-up: Turning engagement into action

In 2025, India’s festive shopping season is bigger and more competitive than ever. Brands that combine CTV, mobile, and DOOH with drive-to-store solutions can deliver timely, personalized, and location-aware campaigns, guiding shoppers across screens and physical stores.

By integrating Creative Sync, GPS-driven rich media, and dynamic content, marketers don’t just capture attention—they create a seamless omnichannel journey, turning festive curiosity into actual sales and long-term loyalty.

The festive season is more than shopping—it’s an opportunity to orchestrate a connected, measurable, and high-impact consumer experience.

This festive season, turn digital engagement into real-world action. Connect with audiences across CTV, mobile, and DOOH. Write to us at sales@mediasmart.i to craft omnichannel campaigns that deliver measurable impact.