Online retailers handled up to 9 crore orders as smartphones, electronics and fashion drove sales to six times normal daily levels, Redseer estimates.
India’s online retailers sold goods worth about Rs 24,000 crore in the first two days of the festive shopping season, according to Redseer Strategy Consultants, as a sharp rise in order volumes and strong demand for smartphones, consumer electronics and fashion drove sales well above normal daily levels. Redseer told PTI that marketplaces including Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho and Ajio handled an estimated 8 crore to 9 crore orders, drawing roughly 6 crore to 6.5 crore shoppers and lifting gross merchandise value to more than $2.5 billion, or about Rs 24,200 crore. The consultancy said that was roughly six times the average business-as-usual run rate.
Mobile phones accounted for the largest share of sales by value, making up about 38% to 40% of the total, while consumer electronics contributed around 25% to 27% and fashion 15% to 18%, Redseer said. Large appliances also outperformed the wider market, with televisions, refrigerators and air conditioners taking a sizeable share of purchases. Among televisions, 55-inch models from brands including TCL, LG, Samsung and Xiaomi accounted for more than three-quarters of the best-selling stock keeping units, according to the consultancy.
Redseer said the strength in electronics was not limited to the festive opening. It estimated that sales in the category had already risen more than 20% in the first half of 2026, helped by shoppers bringing forward purchases on expectations of higher prices later in the year. During the first two days of festive sales, electronics orders were about 14 times the normal daily level, with laptops and internet of things devices also adding to demand. Fashion, meanwhile, posted year-on-year growth of 22% to 25%, and sales in the category were three to five times the usual daily average.
The consultancy said the early surge was broad-based, with about two-thirds of shoppers coming from tier 2 cities and rural areas and Gen Z making up around one-third of opening-day buyers. Quick commerce also gained from the promotional rush, with Amazon and Flipkart using their faster-delivery operations to widen reach and that segment running at four to five times its usual daily GMV, Redseer said. India typically has about 15 crore to 16 crore unique e-commerce shoppers in an average month, meaning the opening two days alone attracted more than a third of that base. Redseer expects about 10 crore shoppers to participate in the full first leg of the festive season sale, suggesting momentum could remain strong in the coming days.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
