Winning Bizness Desk
Mumbai. India's e-commerce platforms are experiencing unprecedented success in their festive sales, with significant contributions from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Companies like Flipkart have seen a massive surge in traffic and transactions as millions of customers nationwide take part in the festive shopping frenzy. The Big Billion Days (TBBD) 2024, which began on September 27, has already drawn 33 crore user visits in just its first day. One of the major trends emerging from the early stages of these sales is the growing participation from smaller towns. Flipkart’s vice president of growth, Harsh Chaudhary, noted, "Categories that enable lifestyle upgrades are seeing increased demand, especially from Tier 2+ cities." Cities like Medinipur, Hisar, Berhampore, and Agartala have contributed significantly to this year's event. Demand for items such as ethnic wear, footwear, electronics, and home goods has surged, showing that smaller cities are embracing e-commerce as a primary shopping avenue, especially during festival seasons.
Rise in Mobile and Electronics Sales in Major Metros
Metros like Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru also recorded heightened consumer activity, with strong demand in categories like mobiles, electronics, fashion, and beauty. As the festive season kicks off, the demand for upgrading household appliances and gadgets is on the rise.
Interactive Shopping Trends Gain Momentum
New-age shopping formats like Video Commerce and Live Commerce are rapidly gaining popularity, particularly among younger audiences. Flipkart reported a 1.8x increase in watch time and a 25x increase in sales from live commerce streams, with 65% of these consumers coming from Tier-II cities. This real-time shopping experience has become a preferred method for a significant portion of the population.
Shopsy and Other Platforms Witness Exponential Growth
Flipkart's hyper-value platform Shopsy saw a remarkable 70% increase in customer visits, with transactions growing 2.8x over the pre-festive season. Categories like home, kitchen, beauty, and personal care have shown substantial growth, with beauty sales alone tripling. This reflects the increasing demand for value-driven shopping during this period.
No need to rush-influencers
An expert on mobile market and a youtube influencer Rajan Pandey, however, has cautioned the buyers suggesting not to rush and order a product which has been on sale as of now. In his social media handle "techitdown", an IT expert Pandey advised, "Don't order anything just because some discounts are placed on the product. This discount system is perennial and it can be availed at any time, any month because we have several festivals lined up in coming months. So be mindful while taking plunge into it." He also says that companies come up with sale, just because they have to clear the pending stock and it can happen at any time."
