As the 2024 festive season kicked off in India, e-commerce platforms saw a huge rise in online shopping. This increase was driven by special discounts, easy payment plans, and a growing number of online shoppers. Major players like Flipkart, Amazon, Myntra, and Meesho led the charge, offering deals that created a shopping frenzy across various categories.
What’s New in 2024 Festive Season
In the 2024 festive season between September 26th and 28th, sales reached a staggering Rs 26,500 crore, making up 26% of the total festive season sales, according to a report by Datum Intelligence. Products like mobile phones, electronics, and household items made up 79% of the sales, thanks to attractive offers like no-cost EMIs and exchange deals.
Small Cities Show Growing Demand
An interesting trend this year was the growing involvement of shoppers from smaller cities. This shift proves that online shopping is no longer limited to big cities. Let’s take a closer look at how each platform performed during the first days of the festive season.
Flipkart: Big Billion Days Success
Flipkart launched its 11th Big Billion Days (TBBD) sale in September, starting a day early for VIP and Plus members. The first day saw 33 crore (330 million) visits, with high demand for products like mobiles, electronics, fashion, and home items.
Interestingly, metro cities like New Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune and Bengaluru led in activity, but smaller towns like Damoh and Siliguri also contributed significantly. Flipkart’s budget platform, Shopsy, saw a 70% jump in visits and a 2.8 times increase in transactions.
Amazon’s Great Indian Festival Record
Amazon India also started strong, with 110 million customer visits within the first 48 hours. Around 80% of this traffic came from smaller towns and tier-II cities. Over 300,000 items were delivered within a day or two, including fashion, electronics, and daily essentials. EMI offers played a key role, with 1 in 5 purchases made using EMI plans.
Meesho Blockbuster Sale
Meesho doubled its orders compared to last year’s sale, recording 3 times more daily orders during the first day of its Mega Blockbuster Sale. The platform saw 65 million customers, with categories like fashion, beauty, and home products performing well. Meesho Mall, the platform’s premium section, experienced 2.5 times more orders than last year.
Myntra Big Fashion Festival
Myntra, the go-to platform for fashion, saw a record-breaking 120 million visitors during its Big Fashion Festival. The first day saw customers buying T-shirts, jeans, shoes, and lipsticks at an incredible rate, with 15 times more new users joining the platform compared to normal days.
The 2024 festive season has proven to be a major success for India’s e-commerce giants, with record-breaking sales and growing participation from smaller cities. As online shopping continues to rise, we can expect these platforms to keep expanding and offering even better deals in the future.
