According to the company, as consumer excitement builds, early trends show that categories like mobiles, appliances, fashion, beauty, and home products are in high demand
Indian ecommerce marketplace Flipkart launched the 11th edition of its flagship sale event, the Big Billion Days (TBBD) 2024, garnering over 33 crore user visits in the first two days. Kicking off on 27 September, with early access granted on 26 September for VIP and Plus customers, the sale signalled a good start of the festive shopping season.
According to the company, as consumer excitement builds, early trends show that categories like mobiles, appliances, fashion, beauty, and home products are in high demand. While top metropolitan areas like Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru have seen a surge in shopping activity, smaller towns such as Medinipur, Hisar, Berhampore, Bankura, and Agartala are also contributing significantly to the buying frenzy.
Rising Demand Across Categories
Early insights reveal that smartphones, electronics, and large appliances continue to be crowd favourites, alongside fashion items such as ethnic wear, sports footwear, and casual clothing. Beauty and general merchandise (BGM) categories have also seen a spike, especially with products in the grooming and wellness sectors.
New Tech Experiences Fuel Engagement
Flipkart has introduced innovative features to enhance the shopping experience, such as FlipInTrends and Video Commerce. These additions saw record engagement, with FlipInTrends alone witnessing a 10X increase in activity as users sought out curated fashion trends, particularly among Gen Z buyers. Trending items included baggy jeans, block print kurtas, and retro runners.
Video Commerce also attracted notable traction, with an 85% youth customer base and 65% of participants hailing from Tier 2 cities. This new shopping format saw a 25X spike in purchases compared to the pre-festive period.
Shopsy and Flipkart Minutes Boost Hyperlocal Shopping
Flipkart’s value-based platform, Shopsy, saw a 70 per cent jump in customer visits and a 2.8X increase in transactions compared to pre-festive levels, driven by demand for lifestyle, home, and kitchen items.
Meanwhile, Flipkart’s Minutes service, which promises rapid deliveries in select cities, saw increasing adoption, especially for electronics. In Delhi, nearly 40% of electronics sales in select hyperlocal areas were facilitated by Minutes deliveries.
Payment Solutions Drive Spending Surge
Flipkart’s extensive payment options helped customers maximise savings. The Flipkart Axis Bank credit card recorded a 20X increase in overall spends, while the Pay Later EMI feature saw an 8.5X rise in transaction volumes.
Additionally, SuperCoins and Flipkart Gift Cards experienced a 5X growth in sales, further highlighting the brand’s appeal during the festive period.
Empowering Sellers and MSMEs
The Big Billion Days has once again proven to be a growth engine for sellers across India, particularly small businesses and artisans. Over 75 per cent of Flipkart’s sellers experienced significant growth in orders, with the Samarth program driving participation from underrepresented groups such as artisans and women sellers.
Speaking on the event, Harsh Chaudhary, Vice President of Growth at Flipkart, noted, “TBBD goes beyond just a sale. It is a national celebration that fosters growth, innovation, and inclusivity. This year, we’re witnessing a strong demand for lifestyle upgrades, and the engagement from Tier 2+ cities reflects the growing digital economy in India.”
As Flipkart leverages cutting-edge technologies such as Metaverse, GenAI, and AR/VR, the 11th edition of TBBD promises to be a landmark event, democratising ecommerce and delivering value to millions of customers, sellers, and partners alike.
