Heatwave triggers q-commerce boom: Swiggy orders up 31%, Flipkart fan demand jumps 23x

Soaring temperatures and WFH patterns drove May order volumes up 43% in Delhi and 38% in Bengaluru. Flipkart Minutes saw umbrella demand 10x, Amazon doubled premium smartphone sales. Platforms scaled worker safety with cooling jackets, AC vans, and Swiggy's Project Ashray expanding rest centres from 150 to 250.

— Source publishedSun, 24 May, 2026, 16:00 IST·First seen Sun, 24 May, 2026, 16:37 IST·Source ET Hospitality

What happened

Heatwave and WFH push surge in online orders. Swiggy orders up 31% in May, Flipkart Minutes sees 23x demand for fans, Amazon doubles premium smartphone sales.

Key facts

  • Swiggy +31.4% orders in May
  • Delhi +43.3%
  • Mumbai +30.1%
  • Bengaluru +37.6%
  • Flipkart hand fans 23x
  • umbrellas 10x
  • Amazon premium smartphones >Rs 30,000 doubled
  • Project Ashray rest centres 150 to 250 by year-end

Why this matters

Worker-welfare infra (Project Ashray, cooling logistics) is becoming table-stakes—evaluate bolt-on acquisitions in cold-chain micro-fulfilment and gig-worker safety tech to defend platform margins.