Summary of this article
Festive online sales crossed Rs 24,000 crore in two days.
Smartphones led spending, while fashion and electronics attracted shoppers.
Smaller cities and rural areas accounted for two-thirds of buyers.
Festive shopping is off to a strong start, with customers spending an estimated Rs 24,000 crore on e-commerce platforms in the first two days of seasonal sales. Around 8-9 crore orders were placed across Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, Ajio and other online marketplaces, according to a study by Redseer Strategy Consultants.
Mobile phones attracted the highest spending by value, but shoppers also purchased festive clothing, laptops, televisions, refrigerators and air conditioners. Customers from smaller cities and rural areas accounted for a significant share of purchases.
Smartphones Accounted For Largest Spending Share
For shoppers looking to upgrade their phones during festive sales, smartphones accounted for an estimated 38-40 per cent of total sales by value. This translates into purchases worth around Rs 9,100-9,600 crore in the first two days.
Consumer electronics contributed another 25-27 per cent of the total gross merchandise value (GMV), or around Rs 6,000-6,500 crore. Fashion products accounted for 15-18 per cent, generating sales worth approximately Rs 3,630-4,350 crore.
Home appliances also featured prominently in customers' shopping baskets. Televisions, refrigerators and air conditioners made up more than two-thirds of large-appliance sales.
Among televisions, models with 55-inch screens from TCL, LG, Samsung and Xiaomi accounted for more than 75 per cent of the top-selling stock-keeping units (SKUs).
Laptops And Home Appliances Draw Buyers
Customers shopping for electronics also drove higher order volumes during the opening days. Electronics orders were around 14 times the average daily level during regular business periods, with laptops and Internet of Things (IoT) devices contributing to demand.
Electronics sales had already grown by more than 20 per cent in the first half of 2026. Some consumers brought purchases forward amid expectations of higher prices in the second half of the year.
For those shopping for festive outfits, fashion sales grew by 22-25 per cent year-on-year during the first two days. The category recorded three to five times its average daily GMV during regular business periods.
Smaller Cities Drive Festive Shopping
Shoppers from Tier 2 cities and rural areas accounted for around two-thirds of the estimated 6-6.5 crore customers who made purchases during the first two days.
Gen Z consumers represented around one-third of opening-day shoppers. First-time shoppers also doubled compared with the previous year's festive sale, according to Redseer.
Around 15-16 crore unique shoppers typically make purchases across e-commerce platforms in a regular month, according to the report. The first two days of festive sales, therefore, attracted more than one-third of this monthly customer base.
