This year, consumers increasingly turned to express delivery channels (qcom) and e-commerce (ecom) for purchases related to the Raksha Bandhan festival.
On the Flipkart Minutes platform, festive purchases tripled compared to the previous year, with over 40 percent of buyers belonging to Generation Z. Among the fastest-growing categories were rakhis and trendy maang tikka, which showed growth of 20 and 4 times, respectively. High demand was also observed for precious earrings, gold and silver coins and bars, as well as puja sets.
The qcom platform sold over 2000 rakhis per minute, and among the most popular gifts were mobile phones, wireless headphones, gold coins and bars, and smartwatches. Ethnic wear also became a popular last-minute choice, with orders for men's kurtas increasing by 87% year-on-year.
Information on purchases via Amazon Now
Amazon Now, the express delivery vertical of Amazon giant, reported that chocolate gifts became the fastest-growing category, increasing by 2.5 times compared to the usual sales level, while Kaju Katli doubled. Nishant Sardana, Director of Amazon Now, noted: 'Our rakhi store combines over 500 unique rakhis, festive essentials, and gift options in one place, with the fastest rakhi order delivered in less than five minutes. This year we saw a clear shift towards premiumization and personalization of gifts—customers moved away from ordinary options to more sophisticated ones.'
Zepto, an express platform operating only in the qcom segment, also recorded increased demand in both major metropolitan areas and regional markets. On this platform, consumers purchased traditional Roli-Chawal and Rudraksha rakhis, as well as anti-evil eye, silver and gold-plated, and multipack options. Popular gifts included chocolates, cosmetics, and nut boxes. Only Delhi accounted for one of every ten rakhis sold on Zepto.
In Swiggy Instamart, orders for rakhis grew by almost 300% year-on-year. Orders for chocolate and mithai increased by 30% compared to the week before Rakhi. Gift baskets grew by 85% weekly, smartwatches nearly doubled (by 99%), and premium designer rakhis grew by 130%.
Regarding e-commerce, Meesho recorded a 36% year-on-year increase in orders, and gross merchandise volume grew by 38% during the festival. For Meesho, about 73% of rakhi orders came from non-metro markets, and rakhis with personalized names became a noticeable trend, indicating a growing demand for individual gifts.