India’s 2026 festive e-commerce season has begun on a strong note for online retail firms, according to a Bank of America (BofA) report based on Sensor Tower data and festive sales data. The festive sale window runs from October 9 to November 15.
Flipkart’s daily active users (DAUs) hit a new high on the first day of its Big Billion Days sale. The sale drew 6.3 million concurrent users in the opening hour, while the number of new customers grew 34 per cent.
Meesho and Amazon also reported strong opening days, the report said. Orders in Meesho’s Mega Blockbuster Sale rose about 75 per cent year-on-year on Day 1, while the number of transacting customers increased about 60 per cent. At Amazon’s Great Indian Festival, the number of first-time shoppers nearly doubled.
Non-metro shoppers and first-time users were the key drivers of demand across horizontal platforms. Non-metros accounted for about 60 per cent of Flipkart’s demand. More than 72 per cent of Amazon’s visits came from beyond the top nine metros. At Meesho, Mall customers from Tier III and smaller towns nearly tripled. Retail credit also supported demand. More than one in three Amazon customers opted for equated monthly instalments (EMIs).
In fashion, Myntra remains the largest platform, with monthly active users (MAUs) up 8 per cent year-on-year to about 93 million in September. Its DAUs rose 40 per cent in the first six days of festive sales compared with September. Nykaa Fashion’s MAUs grew 24 per cent year-on-year to about 17 million, while Nykaa remains the leading beauty and personal care platform with about 20 million MAUs. The festive sale drove a moderate increase in its DAUs, but its own promotional events remain the main driver of engagement. Nykaa’s Pink Friday and Pink Summer sales drive much sharper DAU peaks than festive sale windows.
Quick commerce and food delivery continued to grow structurally but saw little festive increase in daily usage, the report said. Blinkit’s MAUs rose 53 per cent year-on-year to about 58 million in September. Its average DAUs rose 3 per cent over September levels in the first six days of the sale, while Zepto’s fell 2 per cent. Usage on these platforms tends to spike on occasions such as Raksha Bandhan and Valentine’s Day.
In food delivery, Zomato’s MAUs grew 12 per cent year-on-year to about 63 million in September, while Swiggy’s rose 9 per cent to about 66 million. During the first six days of the festive sale, average DAUs on food-delivery platforms rose 1-2 per cent compared with September levels.
Food-delivery usage rises more sharply on celebration days. On New Year’s Eve, Zomato’s DAUs rose about 57 per cent above normal levels, while Swiggy’s increased 38 per cent.
Swiggy’s value-focused food-delivery offering, Toing, saw its MAUs rise from about 1 million in February 2026 to about 18 million in September 2026.
