As India’s festive shopping season kicks off, Flipkart is seeing strong momentum in its flagship Big Billion Days sale. From early-bird deals that spread demand to a surge in premium appliances post-GST benefits, the e-commerce giant is running well ahead of plan, says Pratik Shetty, vice-president – Growth and Marketing at Flipkart, in an interview with Ayanti Bera. Excerpts:
How has demand shaped up so far in the Big Billion Days?
This year, Flipkart rolled out early-bird deals ahead of the Big Billion Days to shift some demand earlier, manage inventory more efficiently and ease pressure on the supply chain. By spreading demand, we ensure smoother deliveries and overall efficiencies. We opened a small part of our portfolio at Big Billion Day prices for about 14 days before the main sale. The momentum in early-bird deals was robust and gave us confidence going into the main event.
How has the GST benefit played into this year’s shopping trends?
Appliances have been the fastest-growing category this year, helped by GST-linked price cuts. We saw a surge in demand for TVs and large appliances after Sept. 22 when GST benefits kicked in. In consumables such as FMCG, however, customers didn’t wait for the cuts to take effect and started buying as soon as early-bird deals went live. So while appliances saw postponed demand, FMCG saw immediate and sustained demand.
How has customer engagement been during the event so far?
Very healthy. Typically, we advertise on the first day and then track how many users return in the following days. Last year, about 67–68% of day-one visitors came back; this year, that number is up to 70%, a strong sign customers are continuing to transact beyond the initial high.
Which customer cohorts are driving growth this year?
The Gen Z segment has been a standout. Business from this cohort has grown about 30% year-on-year during the period, making it one of our fastest-growing groups. Their purchases are largely in mobiles, beauty and personal care, and fashion. Interestingly, metros have also shown 30%+ year-on-year growth, encouraging since Flipkart has traditionally been stronger in Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets.
Premiumisation continues to be a strong theme this year. What are you seeing?
In beauty and personal care, we’re seeing a clear shift to higher-value products. Items priced above ₹1,000 have grown 24–25% year-on-year. In appliances, televisions show a marked move towards larger screens and premium brands.
After the initial surge in the first two days, are you seeing demand taper off?
Yes, but that’s the usual pattern of the festive sale. There is typically a surge in the first couple of days, then it stabilises over the following days. We plan another event closer to Diwali for the next wave of demand.
Overall, how does this year’s performance compare to expectations?
We had factored the macro environment and expectations into our planning, and I’m happy to say we are tracking well above plan. The first 48 hours were phenomenal, and we’re confident about the next leg of the festive season as well.