GoKwik reports 58 per cent jump in BFCM sales as tier 3 shoppers, prepaid payments drive growth
India’s Black Friday–Cyber Monday (BFCM) sales showed a sharp shift in consumer demand towards smaller cities, with homegrown direct-to-consumer brands reporting a 58 per cent rise in gross merchandise volume, ecommerce enablement platform GoKwik said on Tuesday.
Orders on GoKwik’s network rose 63 per cent year-on-year during the 28 Nov – 1 Dec 1 period, growing more than twice as fast as global markets. The company said 41 per cent of all shoppers came from tier 3 locations, led by districts such as Rangareddy in Telangana, Gautam Buddha Nagar in Uttar Pradesh and Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu.
GoKwik said order volumes peaked at 10 pm on 29 Nov, while higher-value purchases were concentrated around 4 pm the same day. Online payments surpassed cash-on-delivery during the sale window, reflecting increased use of prepaid options.
WhatsApp-based commerce also expanded, with brands sending nearly three times more messages than a year earlier. Messaging volumes rose 55% a day before the sale as companies pushed notifications to drive conversions.
“The shift was clear in the data. Smaller cities outpaced metros and online payments increased sharply,” GoKwik co-founder and CEO Chirag Taneja said, adding that shoppers saved more than Rs 55 crore in discounts.
South India accounted for 31.4 per cent of shoppers, ahead of North India at 29.3 per cent and West India at 22.7 per cent. Fashion remained the largest category, while books and stationery rose 394 per cent and jewellery grew 200 per cent, supported by wedding-season demand.
GoKwik said 21.5 per cent of merchants on its network doubled sales compared with days leading up to BFCM. The platform supports more than 15,000 brands, including Lenskart, Neeman’s, Man Matters and Mamaearth.
