Indian households gear up for Diwali festivities, but with a tighter budget as rising food prices, costlier consumer electronics and soaring airfares make celebrations and big-ticket purchases more expensive. With household spending divided across essentials and discretionary purchases, shoppers now have to choose between spending more for the same basket of goods and services or scaling back their plans.
The pressure is beginning to show in festive sales, with e-commerce platforms reporting slower demand than last year during the opening days of their annual shopping events. Higher product prices and lower discounts are weighing on purchases, while rising costs of food, sweets and travel are adding to the burden just as households prepare for the festival season.
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