In 6 days of festive sales, e-commerce up 21%; quick commerce up 85%

New Delhi: India’s festive e-commerce has opened strongly, with order volumes rising 21% year-on-year in the first six days of the season, according to Unicommerce. 

The comparison matches the first six days of last year’s sale period, starting September 26, 2024, with this year’s opening week, which began on different dates across platforms. 

The analysis encompasses over 40 million transactions processed on Unicommerce’s Uniware platform.

Quick commerce is the standout. Orders of items through instant delivery apps increased by over 85% year-over-year in the first week.

What is selling:

• FMCG led by healthy foods
• Beauty and wellness, and health and pharma, with strong demand for nutraceuticals and supplements
• Electronics, fuelled by home appliances
• Home décor products also gained

Brand.com momentum: Brand websites recorded a 31% rise in volumes, driven largely by beauty and wellness, including makeup, personal care, and hygiene. Fashion, mainly apparel and jewellery, also posted healthy growth.

Where the growth is coming from:

Tier II and III cities accounted for about 58% of total festive transactions in the first week.

Metros and Tier I cities saw 22% growth in order volumes, while Tier II and Tier III together were up 20% versus the same period last year. The share and steady growth underline the rising importance of smaller towns in festive demand.

Unicommerce said the gains reflect broader readiness across brands to service demand through integrated sales channels and improved product availability across marketplaces and brand websites.