Bengaluru, Oct. 16 -- India's festive season has become a defining period for consumer demand, bringing a sustained surge in activity across retail, dining, travel, gifting and everyday commerce. What begins with the anticipation of celebrations translates into weeks of heightened business activity, as merchants across categories prepare for more customers, more transactions and a faster pace of operations.

This heightened activity is already reflected in festive demand. Recent industry reports indicate that festive demand in 2026 has reached a five-year high, with strong growth across consumer durables, automobiles and apparel. For merchants, this increase in activity also brings more customer interactions, payment-related queries, serv...