Why 90 Days? Because 30 Days Isn’t Enough
Last Diwali, Indian ecommerce hit ₹1.2 lakh crore in festive season sales, and in my experience, the brands that captured disproportionate share weren’t the ones with the biggest budgets — they were the ones that started preparing in August.
Here’s what goes wrong, in my experience, when you start late:
- Inventory stockouts — I’ve seen manufacturers get backlogged by September. If you haven’t placed orders by mid-August, you’re competing for remaining capacity.
- Ad costs spike 40-60% — I track this every year: CPMs on Meta and Google start rising in September as every brand increases spending. Early campaigns build pixel data at lower costs.
- Logistics slots fill up — In my experience, 3PLs and courier partners allocate capacity in advance. Late brands get slower delivery times.
- Creative fatigue — I tell every client: you need 20-30 ad creatives for the full season. Producing these in 2 weeks leads to mediocre work.
The 90-Day Diwali Prep Calendar I Give Every Client
Phase 1: Foundation (August 1–31)
- Week 1-2: Inventory planning — I analyze last Diwali’s data with the client (or competitor research if it’s their first year), identify top SKUs, bundle opportunities, and gift sets, then place manufacturing orders NOW.
- Week 3: Website audit — I speed-test the site, fix the mobile UX, and set up festive landing pages, then test checkout flow with 10 real users.
- Week 4: Creative production — I brief the creative team (or start generating myself) and ask for: 10 video creatives, 10 static ads, email templates, WhatsApp broadcast templates, website banners.
Phase 2: Build-Up (September 1–30)
- Week 1-2: Launch early-bird campaigns — I launch ‘Diwali Early Access’ at 10-15% discount. Goal: build retargeting audiences and collect emails/WhatsApp subscribers before CPMs spike.
- Week 3: Test and optimize — I run A/B tests on creatives, offers, and landing pages, then kill underperformers and scale winners.
- Week 4: Logistics dry run — I ship test orders through the entire fulfillment chain, verify packaging quality for gift items, and confirm COD verification flows are working.
Phase 3: Peak (October 1 – Diwali)
- Week 1: Full launch — I activate all campaigns, deploy maximum ad budget, and trigger the email/WhatsApp sequences.
- Week 2-3: Daily optimization — My team monitors ROAS hourly during peak days, kills low-performing ad sets, increases budget on winners, and handles customer queries within 30 minutes.
- Post-Diwali (1 week after): Clearance — I run clearance sales on the remaining inventory, target cart abandoners with maximum discounts, and start the post-festive retention campaigns.
Budget Allocation Framework I Use With Clients
| Budget Component | % of Festive Budget | Timing |
|---|
| Inventory & Production | 40-50% | August |
| Meta Ads | 20-25% | September-Diwali |
| Google Ads | 10-15% | September-Diwali |
| Influencer/UGC | 5-10% | August-September |
| Logistics buffer | 5% | Ongoing |
| Creative production | 5% | August |
The Festive Pricing Strategy I Use
I tell clients: don’t just slap discounts everywhere. Use a tiered approach:
- Early Access (September) — I set this at 10% off for email/WhatsApp subscribers. Creates urgency and builds the remarketing pool.
- Main Sale (Diwali week) — I price this at 15-25% off, matching or beating marketplace pricing on hero products. Bundle deals push AOV higher.
- Flash Sales (2-3 during peak) — I run these at 30-40% on select products for 6-12 hours. Creates social buzz.
- Post-Diwali Clearance — I go to 40-50% on remaining festive inventory. Better to sell at cost than hold dead stock.
Common Diwali Mistakes I See
- Going heavy on discounts, light on creative — I’ve seen it: your 20% off means nothing if the ad doesn’t stop the scroll. Invest in creative first.
- Ignoring mobile UX — In my experience, 80%+ of festive traffic is mobile. If your mobile checkout takes more than 3 taps, you’re losing sales.
- No post-purchase follow-up — I remind clients: festive buyers are gift buyers, not necessarily your target customer. Convert them to repeat buyers with targeted post-purchase sequences.
- Running out of stock on day 3 — I tell clients to over-order their top 3 SKUs by 30%. Understocking costs more than overstocking.
Want My Team’s Help With Diwali Prep?
At Growww Tech, I run these festive campaigns myself for Indian D2C brands — creative production, ad management, logistics. If you want to make the most of this Diwali season, start your 90-day prep with us.
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