The much-awaited Indian festive season has finally kicked off on Sunday, October 3, 2021. India’s two biggest e-commerce giants Flipkart and Amazon have begun their respective flagship sales, Big Billion Days and Great Indian Festival. Customers of Flipkart Plus and Amazon Prime were given early access to both platforms.
The 8th edition of Flipkart’s The Big Billion Days (TBBD) sale will run for eight days, ending on October 10, whereas Amazon India’s Great Indian Festival (GIF) will run for a month.
Interestingly, on the very first day, both companies reported a strong start to this year’s festive sales, with high demand coming from tier-II and tier-III cities. The high demand could be attributed to the fact that people tend to spend more time on these shopping platforms on Sundays.
Walmart-owned Flipkart on Sunday said that the early access for its customer loyalty programme Flipkart Plus saw a 40% YoY growth this year. In addition, approximately 45% of customer demand from tier-III and higher cities indicates a strong preference for high-value goods/items. The excitement for Flipkart’s Big Billion Day sale among Indians was so high that more than 2 million customers pre-booked close to 5 million products just prior to Early Access by paying just Re.1
In contrast, Amazon India Vice-President Manish Tiwary said the platform saw a 60% YoY increase in sellers who received their highest-ever single-day sales on Amazon.in. Besides that, the number of sellers receiving orders from tier II/III cities increased by 21%, while 16% more sellers received orders than the previous year.
Exciting Offfers On Amazon, Flipkart Sale 2021
Amazon India is offering up to 40% off on all mobiles and accessories. In addition, the eCommerce behemoth is also offering no-cost EMI, exchange offers, coupons, 10% instant discount up to Rs 12,750 on HDFC bank credit/debit cards subject to terms and conditions.
On the other hand, Flipkart is giving some exciting discounts and coupons on all electronics, Fashion, and other products. Customers can use Flipkart Pay Later, no-cost EMI, the Flipkart Axis Bank co-branded credit card, and others to get easy credit for high-value purchases.
According to a press release by Flipkart, one in five customers has chosen to exchange their smartphone for a new one, with 82.6% of customers opting for prepaid payment options to pay for their new smartphone.
Surprisingly, despite being dubbed as the most expensive smartphones in the world, Apple iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini emerged as the favorite smartphone models, accounting for the majority of the two-lakh iPhone 12 devices sold so far.
Flipkart has slashed the price of the iPhone 12 to the point where it is now selling at one of its lowest prices ever even without any discounts. Currently, the 128 GB variant of the iPhone 12 is currently priced at Rs 56,999, while the 64 GB variant is priced at Rs 50,999.
The rapid increase in demand for large appliances and electronics among Indians is quite evident from the fact that TVs are the largest-selling in the home appliances category, while laptops are the leading in the electronics category. The sales of sports shoes, outdoor wear, and men’s clothing have also dramatically increased in the fashion category.
Amazon, Flipkart To Generate Record Sales
Just like every year, Amazon India and Flipkart are expected to see a large chunk of their annual revenue come from these festive sales.
The online retailers in India are expected to generate $9.2 billion in sales during the 2021 festive season, representing an impressive 42% YoY growth. Surprisingly, 70% of this festive month’s total online sales would take place within a week (October 3 to 10).
According to a senior industry analyst, the Flipkart Group, including its fashion portal Myntra, is expected to generate gross sales of $4-$4.5 billion during the festive season, while Amazon India is expected to generate around $4 billion.
Stay tuned for more updates on Flipkart, Amazon festive season sale 2021.
