The order volume of e-commerce firms grew by 20 per cent during the first four days of the festive season sale from September 26 to September 29
The festive season, the favorite time for Indians and also for e-commerce players, is giving high returns for companies. The festive timing starting from Diwali is also the time when e-commerce and quick commerce platforms come up with offers and sales, such as the Big Billion Day sales by Flipkart.
The order volume of e-commerce firms grew by 20 per cent during the first four days of the festive season sale from September 26 to September 29, as compared to the first four days of the festive season sales last year (October 7 to October 10, 2023), as per data from e-commerce enablement SaaS platform Unicommerce.
For instance, on September 27, the e-commerce portal Meesho announced its "Meesho Mega Blockbuster Sale." According to the platform, Day 1 orders increased by 100 per cent over the previous year and daily orders exceeded by more than three times. Furthermore, the company states that on Day 1, 6.5 crore users came to purchase in categories like fashion, electronic accessories, home & kitchen and personal care & beauty.
Additionally, data analyzed by Unicommerce highlights that there was around a 32 per cent increase in the sale of fashion and accessories. To add to it, makeup products saw a 54 per cent YoY growth during this festive sale.
“Festive season sales have become an exciting phase of the year when everyone awaits the attractive offers and the extensive variety of products. While this continues as a trend year after year, we see an increasing number of brands participating in the sale season, affirming India's status as a digitally forward country,” said Kapil Makhija, MD & CEO of Unicommerce, in a statement.
Online shopping site Myntra also claims that during their Big Fashion Festival, there was a 2X spike in orders per minute at peak over last year, in the opening hour of the event.
Neha Wali, Head of Revenue, Myntra, said in a statement, “We are also seeing a notable demand coming from both metros and non-metros, with approximately 45 per cent of orders coming from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities and beyond.” Other e-commerce platforms, such as Amazon and Flipkart, also anticipate an increase in sales. Amazon claims that more than 11 crore customers visited its website within 48 hours of the start of the Amazon's Great Indian Festival. The company reportedly claims that around 80 per cent of the people came from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
Anticipating the increasing demand, quick commerce platforms are also trying to come up with offers and discounts during the festive season. As per Redseer Strategy Consultant, “In line with the ongoing rapid growth spree, quick-commerce platforms are anticipating 100 per cent YoY growth in the festive period.”
For example, Swiggy Instamart has highlighted that ahead of the festive season, they will launch a 24x7 free delivery service in Delhi, NCR. The company said in a statement that during the festive season, late-night orders increase. “Swiggy Instamart has observed that the demand for essentials not only continues but increases once the shutters go down in the late hours, especially during the bustling festive season filled with last-minute preparations,” highlighted the company.