Blinkit, which holds the largest market share in the segment, has resumed accepting international orders, allowing customers outside India to send rakhis and gifts domestically. Swiggy’s Instamart said rakhi sales this year have exceeded last year’s total, with order volumes now 3.5 times higher than the same period in 2024.
Companies have expanded their product selection to cater to festive demand. Instamart has partnered with Kalyan Jewellers to offer silver rakhis, while Flipkart Minutes reported a rise in orders across gifting categories. The company recorded a fivefold increase in orders for chocolates and festive gift boxes, a twelvefold jump in sweets, and a threefold rise in dry fruits. Perfumes, wristwatches, handbags, and wallets were also among the better-performing categories.
These 10-minute delivery platforms routinely promote products tied to specific festivals or occasions, such as chocolates and gift items for Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, or Friendship Day, and festive goods for events like Eid, Christmas, Holi, or Dhanteras. These targeted offerings are aimed at driving sales as more consumers opt for rapid delivery services.
Also Read: D2C brands lining up to list on quick commerce platforms in festive season
Assortment increase
Beyond the fast delivery and attractive offers, platforms have also increased their stock-keeping units (SKUs) to provide a larger selection of festive items. “This year, we have increased the selection of rakhis on the platform, partnering with Kalyan Jewellers to offer silver rakhis for the first time on quick commerce,” said Manender Kaushik, AVP and category head of Instamart.
Meanwhile, Flipkart Minutes noted an increase in demand for gift packs and hampers. It reported a 5X uptick in orders for chocolates and festive gift boxes, a 12X demand surge for sweets, and a 3X increase in dry fruits.
“All-time popular gifting categories continued to drive demand, like sweets, dry fruits, perfumes, and non-food gifting combos, experiencing significant growth. Utility-led products such as wristwatches, handbags, and wallets performed well,” a Flipkart Minutes spokesperson said.
“Last year, over 65% of Rakhi-related orders in metros came within 72 hours of the festival, a trend we expect to see again,” said Devendra Meel, chief business officer, Zepto. “So far, we are witnessing a ~30% rise in average order value and a ~150% surge in volumes compared to the same time last year.”
To cater to the demand, Zepto has optimised its dark store inventory for the festival, updated the user interface of the app to include gifting SKUs and also introduced festive-ready packaging.
Planned shopping
Moving beyond the reputation for last-minute orders, platforms like Instamart and Flipkart Minutes are seeing a significant trend of consumers planning their festive purchases in advance.
According to Instamart’s Kaushik, consumers started shopping on their platform for Raksha Bandhan days before the festival this year. The shift in consumer behaviour from last-minute shopping to planned is marked by a substantial increase in order volumes, with shoppers in both tier-1 and tier-2 cities turning to quick commerce for festive shopping. Flipkart Minutes saw shoppers from Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, and Mumbai, as well as Lucknow, Kanpur, and Patna.
Similar to the traditional quick commerce platform, online fashion retailer Myntra’s rapid delivery offering M-Now also witnessed a 1.5X spike in orders placed during the lead-up period to Raksha Bandhan. M-Now is present in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi-NCR and offers a rapid delivery within 30 minutes to four hours.
