India’s quick-commerce majors rode a wave of last-minute Raksha Bandhan shopping this year, setting new sales records across categories from rakhis to gift hampers. Zepto, Instamart, and Flipkart Minutes all reported unprecedented festive demand, underscoring the growing role of rapid delivery platforms in seasonal retail.
Zepto Co-founder and CEO Aadit Palicha said the platform’s Rakhi sales peaked between 10 and 11 a.m. on the day of the festival, when it moved over 820 Rakhis a minute, more than double last year’s record, through a post on LinkedIn. “Traditionally, Rakhi shopping meant going store-to-store a week in advance to find ‘the one.’ Today, the rush peaks on the day itself,” he noted. Zepto offered over 500 handcrafted designs this year, while also optimising dark store inventory, integrating gifting SKUs into the shopping flow, and offering festive-ready packaging.
Chief Business Officer Devendra Meel said the brand saw a nearly 30% rise in average order value and a 150% jump in order volumes compared to last year. On the gifting side, earrings sales grew 4.5x, wallets and handbags surged 7x, Indian sweets rose 4x, and festive envelopes doubled in demand.
Festive logistics shift to speed and convenience
Media organisations had earlier reported that platforms ramped up festive-specific product lines and fine-tuned delivery operations in anticipation of the spike. Instamart recorded a 3.5x increase in orders compared to the same period in 2024, with Rakhi hampers, sweets, and chocolates all growing eightfold and fourfold, respectively. “We have already surpassed last year’s sales,” said Manender Kaushik, AVP and Category Head at Instamart.
Flipkart Minutes joins the festive sprint
Flipkart’s quick-commerce arm, Flipkart Minutes, also saw a sharp uptick in seasonal orders. Chocolate and festive gift box sales rose fivefold, sweets saw a twelvefold increase, and dry fruit sales were up threefold year-on-year.