Janmashtami and Ganesh Chaturthi fall this month, with Navratri, Dussehra and Diwali following through October and into November, a period that typically accounts for a large share of the country's annual retail and advertising activity. 05 lakh crore, up 25% over 2024, according to data compiled by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT). And advertisers are already gearing up for it as an Amazon Ads survey found that 61% of consumers expect to spend more this Diwali compared with last year. Against that backdrop, we spoke to Kapil Sharma, Director - Amazon Ads India, about how brands, especially SMBs, are approaching this festive season and where AI fits into that planning. A recent Amazon Ads study of 300 SMBs in India, part of a wider 4,100-respondent survey across 14 countries conducted by Opinium, found that 87% now say AI-powered advertising tools have helped them access channels, audiences or formats that previously felt out of reach, including high-impact formats such as streaming TV.