India's festive shopping season has opened on a strong note across e-commerce platforms, with Flipkart, Amazon, Myntra and Meesho reporting sharp rises in orders and participation — driven increasingly by smaller towns and a blend of value buying and premium upgrades.
Flipkart's 13th Big Billion Days sale began with 6.3 million concurrent users in a minute during the opening hour, while sessions crossed 287 million during early access. New customers grew 34 per cent, with nearly half of the opening-hour visits coming from Tier-3 towns and beyond, and non-metro customers accounting for around 60 per cent of demand.
Amazon said the opening of its Great Indian Festival was the biggest in the event's history, with the number of products ordered rising more than 100 per cent year-on-year. Customers from every pin code placed orders, premium Android smartphone sales grew 70 per cent year-on-year, and fashion sales reached seven times the level of a regular day.
Myntra's Big Fashion Festival, which began on October 8, recorded a four-fold surge in demand over business-as-usual levels in its first 24 hours. Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities contributed more than half of first-day orders, and the average order value was higher than on the opening day of last year's edition — a signal that shoppers are moving toward premium purchases.
Meesho's Mega Blockbuster Sale also saw strong traction, with Day 1 orders rising around 75 per cent year-on-year and transacting customers growing about 60 per cent. Orders peaked at more than 75,000 per minute within 15 minutes of the sale going live.
The early trends point to festive demand spreading well beyond metropolitan centres, even as shoppers continue to seek discounts and financing options alongside aspirational products. Shoppers are combining exchange offers and no-cost EMI options with premium upgrades across categories, suggesting that consumption confidence is holding up into the festival months.
Sources: The Hindu BusinessLine: E-commerce festive sales kick off with strong demand from smaller towns
Flipkart's 13th Big Billion Days sale began with 6.3 million concurrent users in a minute during the opening hour, while sessions crossed 287 million during early access. New customers grew 34 per cent, with nearly half of the opening-hour visits coming from Tier-3 towns and beyond, and non-metro customers accounting for around 60 per cent of demand.
Amazon said the opening of its Great Indian Festival was the biggest in the event's history, with the number of products ordered rising more than 100 per cent year-on-year. Customers from every pin code placed orders, premium Android smartphone sales grew 70 per cent year-on-year, and fashion sales reached seven times the level of a regular day.
Myntra's Big Fashion Festival, which began on October 8, recorded a four-fold surge in demand over business-as-usual levels in its first 24 hours. Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities contributed more than half of first-day orders, and the average order value was higher than on the opening day of last year's edition — a signal that shoppers are moving toward premium purchases.
Meesho's Mega Blockbuster Sale also saw strong traction, with Day 1 orders rising around 75 per cent year-on-year and transacting customers growing about 60 per cent. Orders peaked at more than 75,000 per minute within 15 minutes of the sale going live.
The early trends point to festive demand spreading well beyond metropolitan centres, even as shoppers continue to seek discounts and financing options alongside aspirational products. Shoppers are combining exchange offers and no-cost EMI options with premium upgrades across categories, suggesting that consumption confidence is holding up into the festival months.
Sources: The Hindu BusinessLine: E-commerce festive sales kick off with strong demand from smaller towns
