New Delhi: With the one-week festive sales in the Covid-hit year set for grand finale on October 21, the online retailers and e-commerce marketplaces have seen a massive shopping surge coming from small-town India and into newer categories.
According to industry experts, the momentum is at an all-time high and the seven-day sales are likely to witness over $4.8 billion (nearly Rs 35,273 crore) in sales — an amount that took online retailers a month to reach last year.
“There is huge demand from across the spectrum, especially the smaller cities and towns. The online retailers are set to witness about $4.8 billion in these seven days of the first festive sales. The traction is into newer categories that are beyond gadgets and fashion — into groceries, home appliances etc.,” Satish Meena, Senior Forecast Analyst at global market research firm Forrester, told IANS.
According to Manish Tiwary, Vice President, Amazon India, sellers, brands and ecosystem partners nationwide have come together during these unprecedented times to spread joy across the country.
“Over 1.1 lakh sellers receiving orders; 66 per cent sellers, 91 per cent of new customers and 66 per cent of new Prime sign-ups from small towns; shopping in five Indian languages; and orders from over 98.4 per cent of India’s pin-codes in just 48 hours — it’s truly Bharat’s biggest celebration on Amazon ever,” Tiwary said in a statement as the Amazon sales began.
