Quick Commerce Big Growth Driver During Festive Season

Chennai: Flash trading platforms emerged as the biggest driver of growth, recording a 120 percent year-on-year increase in order volumes during the Diwali festive season. The increased presence of express trade and better supply chain has reduced average shipping time by 15 percent this year compared to last year.

According to Unicommerce data, fast trading platforms recorded a 120 percent growth in order volumes. Apart from Zepto, Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart, many players like BigBasket’s BB Now, Flipkart Minutes, Dunzo Daily and AmazonFresh are enlivening the flash commerce space.

These platforms have increased the supply chain efficiency of e-commerce companies. According to logistics platform Shipway, orders were delivered faster this year, and average shipping times in the e-commerce sector during the 2025 festive season were 15 percent shorter than last year. This reflects increased supply chain readiness, smarter demand forecasting and expedited last-mile delivery, ensuring smooth and on-time fulfillment even during the festive season when demand is at its peak.

Among other players, brand websites saw a 33 percent increase in order volumes. However, marketplaces remained the dominant channel; accounted for 38 percent of total purchases and showed an 8% increase in order volumes compared to the previous year.

The best-performing categories included FMCG, home decor and furniture, beauty and wellness, and health and pharmaceuticals, driven by healthy food products such as fusion desserts, dry fruit combinations and millet namkeens.

On the payments front, prepaid orders increased by 26 percent, indicating increased confidence in digital transactions, while Cash on Delivery (COD) orders increased by 22 percent in volume and 35 percent in Gross Merchandise Value; This pointed to a trend towards higher value COD purchases and deeper consumer trust in e-commerce platforms.

Regionally, with a 28 percent increase in orders, World War II. Tier-I cities led the growth, followed by Tier-I cities and metros at 24 percent and Tier-III towns at 23 percent; This reflects the widespread festival momentum across the country.