Flipkart recorded 6.3 million concurrent users in a minute during the opening hour of the 13th edition of The Big Billion Days (TBBD) sale, kicking off the country’s festive shopping season. Every 15th Indian online shopper visited Flipkart in the first hour, with more than six times as many Indians shopping on the platform as in a regular hour, while the number of new customers grew 34 per cent.
Early Access opened at midnight on October 8 for Flipkart Plus and Black members and Flipkart co-branded cardholders, generating more than 287 million sessions. The sale opened to all shoppers on October 9. Customers across India shopped for mobiles, electronics, large appliances, beauty, lifestyle and home products.
Nearly one in two visits during the opening hour of TBBD came from Tier 3 towns and beyond, with non-metro customers accounting for about 60 per cent of demand. Sardulgarh, Panskura, Sheikhpura and Kishanganj were among the fastest-growing markets.
Premium and flagship smartphones saw strong demand, with one in four customers opting for product exchange and one in three choosing no-cost EMI. Large appliance sales grew 30 per cent year-on-year in the first hour, while tablet sales grew 73 per cent.
Beauty sales rose 42 per cent year-on-year, led by men’s grooming and self-care. At its peak, Flipkart sold more than 1,600 men’s perfume units a minute.
The company’s ultra-fast delivery service, Flipkart Minutes, saw order volumes rise to 3.5 times those on regular days, while the number of new customers rose to 11 times the usual level in the first hour. Demand extended beyond everyday essentials to premium electronics, grooming and wearables, with Tier 2-plus cities among the fastest-growing markets.
During Early Access, an iPhone 17 reached a customer in New Delhi in 3.4 minutes through Flipkart Minutes. Other popular purchases included air fryers, laptops and external hard drives.
More than 1,000 hours of live commerce and over 500,000 short-format videos drew 12.7 million users to Flipkart’s video and live experiences during Early Access. Around 64 per cent of voice search users came from Tier 2-plus markets, with lifestyle and make-up among the most-searched categories.
Among Gen Z shoppers, beauty sales grew 48 per cent and watch sales 42 per cent, with sneakers, perfumes, skincare, creatine and jeans among the most-searched items across fashion and personal care.
On the Early Access day, 51 per cent of transacting sellers recorded twice the sales of regular days. Sellers in Tier 2-plus India, including MSMEs and small businesses, saw sales rise to 2.9 times those on regular days, with Bhiwandi, Panipat, Tirupur and Hisar leading the growth.
Online festive sales are projected to grow as much as 29 per cent this year, reaching up to ₹1.55 trillion ($17.6 billion) from ₹1.2 trillion in 2025, according to Datum Intelligence.
Quick commerce, which promises delivery within minutes, is expected to account for about 16 per cent of festive sales, up from 12 per cent last year.
Amazon said on Thursday that the Amazon Great Indian Festival (AGIF) 2026 had its biggest-ever opening, with customers in India ordering more than twice as many products year-on-year. The sale opened to all customers at midnight on October 8.
Customers from every PIN code in India have already placed orders across smartphones, consumer electronics, fashion, beauty, home, kitchen and everyday essentials. Amazon said this made it the most-shopped opening day in the history of the shopping event.
Millions of deals were delivered to customers within hours. In over 120 cities served by Amazon Now, one out of every two products was delivered in just minutes.
“Early trends from the Amazon Great Indian Festival 2026 have beaten our most optimistic expectations,” said Saurabh Srivastava, vice-president, Amazon India. “We’ve seen a record 100 per cent increase in products ordered. From metros to the smallest towns – Bharat is choosing to shop on Amazon.in for the best deals, the widest selection and the fastest deliveries,” he said.
One out of two customers shopped using EMI, and one out of every three units bought was rewarded with cashback. Prime members saved more than 100 per cent over last year with Prime-only offers available on the largest curation of products.
Premium Android smartphone sales grew 70 per cent year-on-year, led by products such as Apple iPhone 16, Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and others. MacBook Neo sales were 65 times those on a regular day, while premium wearables sold at 80 times the rate of a regular day, led by Garmin, Apple, Samsung and Amazfit.
