What are quick commerce platforms doing this festive season?
Swiggy’s Instamart has launched the ‘Quick India Movement’, a 10-day sale starting Friday. This is the first major festive campaign by a quick commerce player, modelled on the month-long events run by Amazon and Flipkart.
Currently, groceries and last-minute essentials make up around 80% of q-comm sales. But platforms are now pushing categories such as small appliances, electronics, and gift items. “Quick commerce platforms don’t have the supply chain to store and deliver large appliances, so they are pushing smaller products like air fryers, toasters, headphones, and premium mobiles’’, said Satish Meena, founder, Datum Intelligence.
Blinkit and Zepto are running shorter, region-specific sales. “By taking a different approach from rivals, Instamart is trying to retain as well as acquire more users during the sale period’’, Meena added.
Analysts expect quick commerce to comprise about 12% of festive ecomm sales this year, with volumes rising two to three times.
Why has Instamart launched a larger sale event?
Over the past year, Instamart has broadened its 10–15 minute delivery beyond groceries. The platform is now looking to use this expanded catalogue, along with revised GST rates, to tap into the festive shopping season that drives demand across categories from groceries to premium goods.
Also Read: Instamart’s market share growth is self-driven, not rival-led: Swiggy group CEO Majety
How are ecommerce platforms ramping up quick deliveries?
Amazon recently announced it now has 100 dark stores on its quick commerce platform Amazon Now. Walmart-owned Flipkart, meanwhile, is targeting 80-90% pincode coverage for its 10-minute delivery arm Minutes across the 19 cities it is present in, ET reported on Friday.
How do festive demand patterns play out on quick commerce?
Analysts say demand peaks on the day of festivals such as Dussehra, Diwali, and Bhai Dooj, with spending concentrated on flowers, dry fruits, gift items, snacks, and puja essentials.
“While festive sales will increase 2-3X this year, the typical spending will be on festival-specific categories,” said Amar Choudhary, chief executive of 1Lattice.
Platforms also refresh their app interfaces ahead of festivals to highlight relevant products and regional offerings.
Also Read: Quick commerce apps stack up extra fees to curb losses