Festive sale tracker 2026
Latest: CAIT sees Rs 7 lakh crore festive sales despite 23-month inflation high; Tier-II-plus cities drive 60%+ of e-commerce orders (NDTV Profit, 13 Oct)
For operators: With CAIT forecasting Rs 7 lakh crore of festive sales against Rs 6.05 lakh crore last year, retailers should put inventory, delivery capacity and staffing into Tier-II-plus cities, which drive over 60% of e-commerce orders, and into quick commerce at 10-15% share.
Updated 14 Oct, 08:14 IST. 56 reports with figures from 30 outlets since 15 Sept, each shown as its report states it: outlets count different things, so we never add them up.
The market
Season totals and early reads, as each report counts them.
UPI hits record 873 million transactions in a day on festive sales, with 0.4% MDR rollout due 15 October
UPI daily transactions: 9 and 10 October against September and October daily averages - 9 October873 million
- 10 October871 million
- October average daily volume845 million
- September average daily volume801 million
For operators: Plan for UPI volumes to stay near 845 million a day through the festive season, and model the cost of a possible 0.4% MDR on payments above Rs 2,000 from 15 October, since a postponement to January 2027 is under consideration but not decided.
West Bengal traders' body flags online-offline price gap after ₹24,000 crore festive ecommerce sales
A reported figure cited by the traders' body, covering only the season's first two days - Ecommerce festive sales, first two days
- ₹24,000 crore
For operators: Brick-and-mortar retailers in West Bengal should document where online prices undercut their shelf prices during the festive season, because the traders' body is pushing the government to examine the gap and press for price parity.
Festive e-commerce sales fall 7-10% in first four days as pricier smartphones and laptops weigh on demand
For operators: With smartphones down to 30% of festive GMV from 35% in 2025 and fashion GMV up 22-25% in the first two days, shift promotion budgets and inventory toward fashion and away from high-ticket electronics for the rest of the season.
Festive online sales jump up to 40% in first three days as premium goods lead, Haier India up 30%, Parle up 45-50%
For operators: Tilt festive inventory and promotions toward premium lines and urban quick-commerce baskets, where bills are up 15-20%, but don't chase smartphone volume, which fell 12% after prices rose 35-40%.
Platforms
What Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho and others say their sales did.
Myntra's Big Fashion Festival draws 4x normal demand in first 24 hours, led by Tier 2 and 3 cities
First-24-hour demand, eastern India gains and peak sessions - Demand vs normal, first 24 hours
- 4x
- Eastern India demand growth vs normal
- sevenfold
- New customer growth from eastern states
- 1.8 times
- Peak concurrent sessions
- nearly 1 million
For operators: Myntra's festival drew 4x normal demand in 24 hours, with Tier 2 and 3 cities placing over half of orders, eastern India demand up sevenfold and M-Now orders doubled, so rival fashion retailers should check their regional stock, delivery speed and discount depth outside the metros.
Flipkart Fashion seller base jumps 77% after zero-commission move ahead of Big Billion Days
Flipkart Fashion: seller base and transacting selection growth this year - Fashion seller base growth this year
- 77%
- Transacting selection growth this year
- 33%
For operators: With Flipkart's fashion commissions (previously averaging 14-18%) gone and the seller base up 77%, expect competition on Flipkart to shift from fees to visibility and price, so plan Big Billion Days promotion and Gen Z-focused assortments before Thursday.
Amazon's Great Indian Festival draws 440 million visits, with over 72% from beyond the top nine metros
Great Indian Festival 2026: visits and growth headline figures - Visits to Amazon.in as of October 9
- over 440 million
- Visits from beyond the top nine metros
- over 72%
- Growth in first-time customers
- close to 100%
- Growth in sellers with Rs 1 crore+ in 24 hours
- over 80%
For operators: With over 72% of the 440 million visits coming from beyond the top nine metros and first-time customers up close to 100%, plan festive assortment, pricing and delivery promises around smaller-city shoppers rather than metro buyers alone.
Flipkart's Big Billion Days opens with 6.3 million peak concurrent users and 34% growth in new customers
Flipkart's Big Billion Days opening hour: 6.3 million peak users, new customers up 34 per cent - Peak concurrent users in a minute
- 6.3 million
- New customers growth in first hour
- 34 per cent
- Sessions logged in first hour
- 287 million
- Non-metro share of demand, first hour
- 60 per cent
For operators: With non-metros driving 60% of Big Billion Days demand, Flipkart Minutes orders up 3.5x and tablets up 73% YoY, brands and sellers should push stock, delivery promises and tablet inventory toward smaller cities and quick-delivery lanes before the sale peaks.
Amazon India's Great Indian Festival 2026 sees product orders double in the first 12 hours
Products ordered in first 12 hours of Great Indian Festival 2026 rose year on year - Products ordered, first 12 hours, year on year
- 100%
For operators: Amazon says products ordered in the first 12 hours rose 100% year on year, with orders from every pin code and stronger metro and smaller-town participation, so expect festive demand to be pulled onto its platform early and check stock depth and price matching in those markets now.
Meesho's TrendPulse scans 400 million daily searches as e-commerce firms deploy AI to win Bharat's festive shoppers
Meesho's TrendPulse analyses 400 million daily searches and flags about 65 emerging trends - TrendPulse daily search queries analysed
- 400 million
- Emerging shopping trends identified daily
- 65
- Trend moments with regional or hyperlocal dimension
- 97%
- Meesho orders from personalised feeds
- 75%
For operators: Meesho's TrendPulse finds that 97% of trend moments carry a regional or hyperlocal dimension, so retailers should localise assortment and feeds by region ahead of a festive season in which Redseer expects 180-185 million online shoppers.
Quick commerce
Festive orders and spend on 10-minute delivery.
Festive retail media spend to reach INR 11,500 crore in 2026, up 27%, as quick-commerce ads jump 50%
Year-on-year growth: festive commerce and retail media at 27%, quick-commerce ads at 50% - Festive commerce and retail media (INR 11,500 crore)27 per cent
- Quick-commerce festive ads (INR 2,200 crore)50 per cent
For operators: With Datum Intelligence projecting festive commerce and retail media spend at INR 11,500 crore (+27%) and FNP lifting festive marketing investment by 15-20%, brands should lock in quick-commerce and retail media inventory early, because 65% of consumers expect to spend more this Diwali and competition for ad slots will be tight.
Festive hiring to reach 2.5 to 2.7 lakh formal roles as e-commerce and quick commerce lean on Tier II, III cities
Formal festive roles expected to rise from about 2.16 lakh in 2025 to 2.5 to 2.7 lakh Formal festive roles in 2025about 2.16 lakhExpected formal festive roles this year2.5 to 2.7 lakhup 15 per cent to 20 per cent
For operators: Plan seasonal staffing and last-mile capacity for Tier II and III cities now, since they drive nearly 45% of festive hiring demand (up 25-30%) and Flipkart's 2.5 lakh seasonal jobs and Ekart's 900 new delivery hubs will compete for the same labour before the 8 October sales.
Festive hiring up 7% to 1.27 lakh postings as quick commerce leads at 18%, while September white-collar jobs fall 11%
For operators: Festive hiring is clustering in quick commerce (+18%) and e-commerce (+12%) rather than stores (+4%) or FMCG (-4%), so put your seasonal readiness effort into q-commerce and marketplace availability, assortment and fulfilment, and into the tier-3 and emerging cities where postings rose 15%.
Snapchat-GWI study: 61% of Gen Z mainly use quick commerce for Diwali festive essentials
61% of Gen Z mainly use quick commerce for festive essentials; snacks and sweets top at 74% - Snacks and sweets bought via quick commerce74%
- Puja essentials bought via quick commerce65%
- Flowers and decorations bought via quick commerce64%
- Gen Z buying festive essentials mainly via quick comm.61%
For operators: Gen Z shoppers already treat quick commerce as their default for Diwali essentials (snacks and sweets 74%, puja 65%, flowers and decor 64%), so secure dark-store listings, festive stock depth and on-shelf availability there before the peak, and run smartphone, fashion and tech as planned omni-channel purchases, since 55% plan tech in advance.
Amazon Now targets 100 Indian cities by Diwali after topping $1bn annualised sales
Amazon Now cities: 60+ today, target of 100 by Diwali - Cities and towns served now60+ cities and towns
- City target by Diwali100 cities
For operators: Amazon Now’s push from 60-plus to 100 Indian cities by Diwali raises the bar for rapid-delivery operators, with local retail partners becoming critical omnichannel fulfilment nodes.
Quick commerce targets 16% of festive e-commerce as regional events lengthen the season
Quick commerce projected to rise to 16% of festive online sales from 12% in 2025 Quick commerce share of festive online sales, 202512%Quick commerce projected share of festive online sales16%For operators: Use pin-code-specific assortments, regional storefronts and exclusive festive bundles to capture demand across an extended 80-day season as quick commerce targets a projected 16% share of festive online sales.
Categories
Which categories led, and which lagged.
Agoda: Puri accommodation searches jump 318% and Sri Lanka 262% for festive stays
Year-on-year growth in Indian travellers' stay searches by destination, 15 Oct–30 Nov 2026 - Puri318%
- Sri Lanka262%
- Ooty166%
- Hong Kong138%
- Japan125%
- Munnar107%
For operators: Agoda's data shows searches for 15 October to 30 November 2026 stays up 318% year-on-year for Puri and 262% for Sri Lanka, so plan for some festive spend and footfall shifting from home-city stores to travel, so consider staffing and promotions around pre-trip shopping and the destinations that are growing.
Gold up 54% since last festive season, jewellers expect diamond jewellery sales to grow 15-20% this festive season
For operators: Weight your festive diamond assortment toward the Rs 10,000-Rs 1 lakh bracket, with everyday-wear pieces at Rs 30,000-Rs 1 lakh as the fast-movers, and plan lighter necklaces of about 60 grams instead of 100 grams as gold is up 54%.
Used-car sales seen rising 12-15% this festive quarter as rural demand lifts Cars24 and Spinny
Organised players are forecast to grow about twice as fast as the overall market - Used-car market, Oct-Dec growth forecast12-15%
- Organised players, growth forecast25-30%
For operators: Used-car retailers should stock up and extend rural RTO coverage before the October-December quarter, since the market is forecast to grow 12-15% and Cars24 expects 55-60% festive growth with more than 40% of its sales tied to rural RTO locations.
Salons double festive makeover prices as Navratri demand surges and input costs climb 25-30%
Input costs are up while GST on salon services has been cut - Input cost rise, year-on-year
- 25-30%
- GST on salon services
- 5%
- down cut from 18%
For operators: With festive makeover prices roughly 2x last year and input costs up 25-30%, price premium tiers and festive bundles against the lost input tax credit, since the GST cut from 18% to 5% did not ease your costs.
Festive ad spend forecast at ₹60,000–62,000 crore, but costs and a weak monsoon may make FMCG brands more selective
Digital is expected to take about two-thirds of festive ad spend 67.8%Digital · of festive ad spendFor operators: With digital at 67.8% of the projected ₹60,000–62,000 crore festive ad spend, plan to keep budgets in measurable digital channels and be ready to trim lower-return reach, as input costs, rain at 87% of the long-period average and Parle's planned rationalisation point to choosier spending.
Counterpoint expects India's festive smartphone volumes to fall 12% even as market value grows 5%
For operators: Plan for fewer festive walk-ins, since Counterpoint expects volumes down 12%, and put trade-in, financing and buyback desks at the front of the store, because October and November trade-in volumes run 50% above regular months.
Beyond the metros
What smaller towns added to the season, line for line as each report states it.
Their share of the season
- Festive e-commerce orders from Tier-II-plus cities: More than 60% · NDTV Profit, 13 Oct
- Amazon: Visits from beyond the top nine metros: over 72% · BW Retail World, 10 Oct
- Flipkart: Non-metro share of demand: 60 per cent · Deccan Herald Business, 9 Oct
- Amazon: Tier 2 and Tier 3 share of recent sale growth: 60-70% · Business Today, 7 Oct
- Amazon: Premium beauty growth from tier 2 and tier 3 cities: nearly 70% · Outlook Business, 7 Oct
- Amazon customers from tier 2 and tier 3 markets: almost 70% · Outlook Business, 7 Oct
- Amazon: New Prime customers from tier 2 and tier 3 cities: 70% · Outlook Business, 7 Oct
- Kapiva Tier-3 Flipkart sales share: around 66 per cent · ET Retail, 1 Oct
Growth there
- Flipkart Tier-2 and Tier-3 growth: 60 per cent · ET Retail, 1 Oct
Day by day
Every report on this page, newest first.
Tue, 13 Oct
- CAIT sees Rs 7 lakh crore festive sales despite 23-month inflation high; Tier-II-plus cities drive 60%+ of e-commerce orders · NDTV Profit
- Agoda: Puri accommodation searches jump 318% and Sri Lanka 262% for festive stays · Fortune India
- UPI hits record 873 million transactions in a day on festive sales, with 0.4% MDR rollout due 15 October · Moneycontrol
- Gold up 54% since last festive season, jewellers expect diamond jewellery sales to grow 15-20% this festive season · ET Small Business
Mon, 12 Oct
- Used-car sales seen rising 12-15% this festive quarter as rural demand lifts Cars24 and Spinny · Business Standard
- West Bengal traders' body flags online-offline price gap after ₹24,000 crore festive ecommerce sales · Business Standard
- Spinny logs record 1,370 used-car deliveries in a single day on first day of Navratri, up 96% year on year · Autocar Professional
- Myntra's Big Fashion Festival draws 4x normal demand in first 24 hours, led by Tier 2 and 3 cities · IMAGES Business of Fashion
- Salons double festive makeover prices as Navratri demand surges and input costs climb 25-30% · ET Small Business
- Festive retail media spend to reach INR 11,500 crore in 2026, up 27%, as quick-commerce ads jump 50% · ET BrandEquity
- Festive ad spend forecast at ₹60,000–62,000 crore, but costs and a weak monsoon may make FMCG brands more selective · exchange4media
- Festive e-commerce sales fall 7-10% in first four days as pricier smartphones and laptops weigh on demand · News18
- Counterpoint expects India's festive smartphone volumes to fall 12% even as market value grows 5% · Times of India
- Festive online sales jump up to 40% in first three days as premium goods lead, Haier India up 30%, Parle up 45-50% · ET Small Business
Sun, 11 Oct
Sat, 10 Oct · 2 reports
Fri, 9 Oct · 3 reports
- Flipkart's Big Billion Days opens with 6.3 million peak concurrent users and 34% growth in new customers · Deccan Herald Business
- Amazon India's Great Indian Festival 2026 sees product orders double in the first 12 hours · Apparel Resources India
- Meesho's TrendPulse scans 400 million daily searches as e-commerce firms deploy AI to win Bharat's festive shoppers · ET Retail
Thu, 8 Oct · 5 reports
- Amazon Great India Festival 2026 opens with 100% y-o-y growth in shopping volume, led by premium appliances · The Hindu BusinessLine
- Titan expects over 20% core jewellery growth this festive season after 22% domestic revenue rise in July-September · CNBC-TV18
- Auto dealers expect 5-7% festive growth, cooling from over 20% in the first half, as GST cuts support demand · CNBC-TV18
- Amazon India adds 50% capacity with Rs 2,800 crore investment as early festive deals lift demand 35-40% · ET Retail
- Flipkart gears up for 13th Big Billion Days with over 2.5 lakh festive jobs and 900+ new delivery hubs · Moneycontrol
Wed, 7 Oct · 7 reports
- Flipkart expects strong festive season as early demand signals point to 1.8-2X unit growth · The Hindu BusinessLine
- Fada survey: 75.57% of auto dealers expect October growth as Navratri festive bookings build · Business Standard
- Libas eyes 20-25% festive growth as apparel brands back a longer season despite inflationary pressures · The Hindu BusinessLine
- Amazon India: Tier 2, 3 Cities Drove 60-70% of Recent Sale Growth Ahead of Great Indian Festival 2026 · Business Today
- Festive hiring to reach 2.5 to 2.7 lakh formal roles as e-commerce and quick commerce lean on Tier II, III cities · Deccan Herald Business
- Amazon India: 50% of surveyed smartphone users plan upgrades, premium beauty up 1.5x ahead of Great Indian Festival 2026 · Outlook Business
- Myntra's Big Fashion Festival opens October 8 with 8 million-plus styles, twice the previous edition's range · ET Retail
Tue, 6 Oct · 5 reports
- Amazon India: phones above Rs 30,000 are over 45% of Assam smartphone value ahead of Oct 8 festive sale · ET Small Business
- Festive hiring up 7% to 1.27 lakh postings as quick commerce leads at 18%, while September white-collar jobs fall 11% · Financial Express
- Gold slides 23% from January peak as jewellers brace for Diwali volumes below last year · Moneycontrol
- Amazon's Great Indian Festival starts Oct 8, a day before Flipkart's Big Billion Days; both push 10% card offers · NDTV Profit
- PNGS Reva Diamond Jewellery Q2 revenue ex-gold jumps 46% to Rs 120.54 crore despite no festive days · ET Retail
Mon, 5 Oct · 3 reports
- Snapchat-GWI study: 61% of Gen Z mainly use quick commerce for Diwali festive essentials · Social Samosa
- Hindware expects 15-20% festive kitchen appliance growth as buying journeys shrink from weeks to days · Storyboard18
- Flipkart adds 14 million cubic feet of Ekart warehousing, lifting storage capacity 50% ahead of The Big Billion Days · MediaBrief
Sun, 4 Oct · 1 report
Sat, 3 Oct · 1 report
Fri, 2 Oct · 1 report
Thu, 1 Oct · 2 reports
Tue, 29 Sep · 1 report
- ColdStar Logistics expands workforce by 15% ahead of festive demand · The Hindu BusinessLine
Fri, 25 Sep · 1 report
Thu, 24 Sep · 2 reports
- Print retains festive retail relevance as English-daily ad revenue rises 3.83% · ET Small Business
- Myntra adds 26,000 festive-season jobs, more than doubling hiring year on year · Business Standard
Tue, 22 Sep · 3 reports
- Amazon Now targets 100 Indian cities by Diwali after topping $1bn annualised sales · Forbes India
- FMCG firms expect 9–11% festive growth as value-conscious shoppers trade up on pack sizes · The Hindu BusinessLine
- Ganesh Chaturthi gold sales volumes fall 15% as record prices reshape buying · ET Small Business
Mon, 21 Sep · 1 report
- Durga Puja demand lifts Kolkata-bound airfares by 71% for October 16 travel · ET Small Business
Thu, 17 Sep · 1 report
Wed, 16 Sep · 1 report
- Flipkart plans 250,000 festive jobs, with 140,000 in last-mile delivery · Financial Express
How this tracker works
It lists festive-season reports since 15 September 2026 that state a figure about the season: sales, orders, visits, growth or share. Product deals, price lists, campaigns and older seasons' numbers are left out. Each tile links the report it comes from; its chart and the line for operators were made from that report's own figures. A figure is shown as the report states it. Platforms and outlets count different things, so the tracker never adds them up. It refreshes at least every hour as reports land. Spot an error? Tell us.