Archive · 11 Oct 2026
Festive E-Commerce Sales Surge, Driven by Smaller-Town Shoppers
Three major online shopping companies said their festive sales began strongly.
They reported that many shoppers came from smaller towns, not just big cities.
Beauty products were popular on all three platforms.
Shoppers also bought items such as phones, TVs, tablets and appliances.
Some customers used monthly payment plans or traded in old phones.
The companies also said more orders were delivered quickly.
These numbers come from the companies themselves.
They did not share the total value of goods sold during the opening days.
Amazon, Meesho and Flipkart reported strong demand during the opening days of their festive sales.
Each platform said shoppers from non-metro or smaller-town markets made up a substantial share of activity.
Beauty and personal care performed strongly across the platforms, alongside growth in electronics and appliances.
Amazon and Flipkart reported increased use of quick delivery, while payment options included EMI and product exchange.
The figures were reported by the companies; none disclosed gross merchandise value for the opening days.
- Who
- Amazon, Flipkart and Meesho reported results from their festive sales.
- What
- The platforms reported strong opening-day demand, with substantial activity from smaller towns and growth in several product categories.
- When
- The opening days began October 8 for Amazon and October 9 for Flipkart and Meesho; the reports cover the initial sale periods described by each company.
- Where
- Across the platforms’ online marketplaces in India, including non-metro and smaller-town markets.
- Why
- The articles report the platforms’ sales results but do not establish a specific reason for the growth.
Company-reported indicators
Limits of the reported data
Interpreting strong openings
Company-reported indicators
The platforms reported substantial growth in orders, visits, customers and selected product categories.
Limits of the reported data
The figures use different time periods and comparison baselines, and none of the companies disclosed gross merchandise value for the opening days.
- Amazon sale
- Great Indian Festival opened to all customers on October 8, after Prime-member early access on October 7.
- Flipkart sale
- Big Billion Days opened on October 9, after early access on October 8 for eligible members and co-branded card holders.
- Meesho sale
- Mega Blockbuster Sale began October 9.
- Amazon order growth
- Products ordered rose more than 100% year-on-year in the first 12 hours.
- Meesho order growth
- Orders on the first day grew about 75% year-on-year.
- Smaller-town demand
- Amazon said over 72% of visits from October 8 to 9 came from beyond the top nine metros; Flipkart said about 60% of demand came from non-metro customers.
- Sales disclosure
- All figures were company-reported, and none of the platforms disclosed gross merchandise value for the opening days.