Fynd, a retail technology firm supported by Reliance Retail Ventures, has released its festive readiness report for 2026. This report strongly recommends that brands in the fashion, lifestyle, and retail sectors begin planning early ahead of India's biggest shopping season, as consumer behavior continues to transform.
Analysis of market data collected between March 2025 and June 2026 on platforms Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, AJIO, Nykaa, and JioMart showed that success during the festive period will increasingly depend on timely planning, real-time inventory tracking capabilities, and expedited delivery, rather than deep discounts.
Ragini Varma, Business Director in India at Fynd, stated that companies that start preparations earliest and act fastest will be the winners during the 2026 Festival. She noted that Tier 3 cities have become important growth markets, and order fulfillment through stores plays an increasingly significant role in improving delivery speed and maintaining profitability. To turn festive readiness into measurable growth, brands require a unified real-time operational layer covering inventory, marketplaces, order fulfillment, pricing, and checkout.
The report identified six key trends shaping the upcoming festive season. Real-time inventory visibility is becoming a competitive advantage. In 2025, Tier 3 cities accounted for 46% of festive demand, surpassing 35% in Tier 1 cities and 19% in Tier 2 markets. Expedited delivery is also becoming critical, as 77% of returns are linked to orders delivered later than three days.
There is an increasing concentration on marketplaces: Myntra, JioMart, and Flipkart together accounted for nearly 80% of festive demand, with Myntra leading with a 49% share. Furthermore, in-store order fulfillment grew from 29% in 2024 to 51% in 2025, overtaking warehouse fulfillment. Prepaid transactions exceeded 53% of total payments, while returns due to cash payment accounted for 73% of returns to origin, highlighting the need for UPI-focused checkout strategies.
It was also found that the peak festive demand in 2025 occurred eight days before Diwali, and direct-to-consumer orders increased by 16% compared to the previous year before Navratri. Average discounts decreased from 44% in 2024 to 34% in 2025, indicating that consumers continue to spend despite smaller price reductions. More than half of festive sales were for items priced below 2000 rupees, reinforcing the importance of value-based pricing over blanket discounts.
