Unicommerce reports show 19 per cent YoY growth from smaller cities
Tier 3 cities emerged as the biggest volume drivers during Republic Day Sales 2026, accounting for nearly 40 per cent of total order items, with order volumes rising over 19 per cent year-on-year, according to an analysis by ecommerce enablement firm Unicommerce.
The company said that the analysis is based on more than 27 million order items processed on Unicommerce’s Uniware platform during the Republic Day sale periods of 2025 and 2026. Cities such as Kolar in Karnataka, Rohtak in Haryana, Kamrup in Assam, Ernakulam in Kerala and Khordha in Odisha led demand from smaller markets, highlighting the growing role of non-metro regions in India’s online retail growth.
Tier 3 markets also contributed around 43 per cent of total food and beverage orders, while healthy food volumes more than doubled in tier 2 cities, indicating deeper penetration of ecommerce-led consumption beyond metropolitan areas.
Repeat Consumption Outpaces Ticket-size Growth
Growth during the sales period was driven more by repeat consumption than by higher ticket sizes. Overall order volumes increased 16.9 per cent year-on-year, while gross merchandise value (GMV) rose 11.9 per cent.
FMCG and agriculture emerged as the fastest-growing category with nearly 80 per cent growth, followed by beauty and wellness at around 53 per cent, led by demand for everyday and wellness-focused products such as dry fruits, millet-based foods, packaged healthy snacks, organic staples and grooming products.
Fulfilment speed and execution quality played an increasing role in driving conversions. Quick commerce recorded around 25 per cent year-on-year growth in order volumes, followed by brand-owned websites at 23 per cent, while marketplaces continued to process the largest share of transactions. Brands relied more on automation to manage inventory, order routing and customer engagement in real time.
AI-led Engagement Gains Traction
The use of artificial intelligence and automation tools expanded during the sales period. Data from Unicommerce’s Convertway platform showed more than 2.5 million customer communications across SMS, WhatsApp and RCS.
Its AI voice agent, Catalyst, supported last-mile order completion through over 1.2 lakh calls, generating more than ten times the revenue for brands compared with the cost incurred, the company said.
Together, the trends point to a maturing e-commerce market where growth is increasingly driven by smaller-city demand, repeat purchases, faster fulfilment and technology-led execution.
