India's Festive Retail Economy 2026: Diwali Trade, E-Commerce GMV and Premium Spending Data

Every autumn, India runs the world's largest concentrated shopping event — not one sale but a quarter-long economy stretching from Onam through Navratri to Diwali and Bhai Dooj. In 2025 that economy set records on every axis: total trade, online GMV, jewellery volumes, small-city participation. This report assembles the verified numbers behind India's festive retail economy — the trade base, the e-commerce engine inside it, who the 90 million online festive shoppers are, and what the data says about 2026. (For the occasion-wear apparel market itself, see our companion study on festive & occasion wear in India — this piece covers the trade economy around it.)

Key findings

  • India's Diwali 2025 season generated a record Rs 6.05 lakh crore in trade — Rs 5.40 lakh crore in goods plus Rs 65,000 crore in services — up 25% on the Rs 4.25 lakh crore 2024 base (CAIT).[2]
  • Festive e-commerce GMV crossed Rs 1.15 lakh crore (US$13.12 billion) in 2025, growing 20–25% — the best festive season for online retail in five years (Redseer).[7]
  • About 90 million shoppers bought online in the first 11 days alone, spending close to Rs 7,000 each — with 60–65% of them from Tier-2+ cities (Redseer).[5]
  • Jewellery delivered the single biggest festive spike: Rs 85,000 crore in two Dhanteras days, with value up 35–40% despite gold prices rising 60% year-on-year (GJC / World Gold Council).[17]
  • Organised retail grew 11% across RAI's 87-day festive window — but apparel above Rs 2,500 (18% GST) saw softer demand while value price points led (RAI).[9]
  • Amazon's Great Indian Festival drew 276 crore customer visits, 70% from tier-2/3 cities — and premium smartphones grew 30% with 65% of that demand from the same smaller cities (Amazon).[15]
  • Quick commerce was the fastest-growing festive channel at ~150% year-on-year, on top of a 110–130% CAGR since 2021 (Redseer / IBEF).[7]

What's in this report

  1. 1. The Rs 6.05 lakh crore season
  2. 2. Festive e-commerce: the Rs 1.15 lakh crore engine
  3. 3. The festive online shopper: 90 million carts
  4. 4. Online vs offline: where the money actually moves
  5. 5. Category mix: what India buys for Diwali
  6. 6. Gold, jewellery and the Dhanteras spike
  7. 7. The premium paradox of festive 2025
  8. 8. The Bharat surge: Tier-2/3 takes the wheel
  9. 9. Quick commerce joins the festival
  10. 10. Timing arc and the 2026 outlook
  11. Frequently Asked Questions

1. The Rs 6.05 lakh crore season

The headline number of festive 2025 came from the Confederation of All India Traders: Rs 6.05 lakh crore in Diwali-season trade — Rs 5.40 lakh crore of goods and Rs 65,000 crore of services — measured across a nationwide survey of 60 distribution centres spanning metros and Tier-2/3 cities.[1] That is 25% above the Rs 4.25 lakh crore recorded in 2024, and the highest festive trade value in India's retail history.[2] Two structural notes ride along with the record: 87% of consumers preferred Indian-made goods, and the boom generated roughly 50 lakh temporary jobs across logistics, packaging, transport and retail.[1]

Rs 6.05 lakh croreTotal Diwali 2025 trade — Rs 5.40L cr goods + Rs 65,000 cr services (CAIT)[2]
+25%Growth over the Rs 4.25 lakh crore festive base of 2024 (CAIT)[2]
87%Consumers who preferred Indian-made goods this festive season (CAIT)[2]
50 lakhTemporary jobs created by the festive trade boom (CAIT)[3]

India festive-season trade as measured by CAIT: Rs 4.25 lakh crore (2024) to a record Rs 6.05 lakh crore (2025), up 25%.[1]

CAIT festive trade, Rs lakh crore
Season Trade (Rs lakh crore)
Diwali 2024 4.25
Diwali 2025 — goods 5.40
Diwali 2025 — services 0.65
Diwali 2025 — total 6.05

2. Festive e-commerce: the Rs 1.15 lakh crore engine

Inside the total sits the fastest-moving piece: online retail. Redseer forecast festive 2025 e-commerce GMV to cross Rs 1.15 lakh crore (US$13.12 billion), growing 20–25% — its best festive reading in five years.[6][7] The season delivered on the forecast early: the first 11 days closed at Rs 60,000–62,000 crore, up 20–22% year-on-year and roughly 3.5x business-as-usual volumes.[4] The reacceleration matters because 2024 had slowed to 12% growth on ~US$14 billion of GMV[11] — 2025 nearly doubled that growth rate, helped by GST 2.0 rate cuts landing on the exact opening day of the sales, which lifted Day 0+1 GMV 23–25%.[5]

Rs 1.15 lakh croreFestive 2025 e-commerce GMV (US$13.12B), up 20–25% — best in 5 years (Redseer)[7]
Rs 60–62K croreGMV in the first 11 days alone — ~3.5x business-as-usual (Redseer)[5]
+23–25%Day 0+1 online GMV growth, 4x–5x the 2024 opening pace (Redseer)[6]
12% → 21%Festive GMV growth, 2024 vs the 2025 first leg — the reacceleration (Redseer)[12]

Festive e-commerce YoY growth: 42% (2021), ~19% (2023 week 1), 12% (2024), back to ~21% in the 2025 first leg — the five-year reacceleration.[13][12][11][4]

Festive e-commerce YoY growth by season (%)
Season YoY growth (%)
2021 (Forrester, festive month) 42
2023 (Redseer, week 1) 19
2024 (Redseer, full season) 12
2025 (Redseer, first 11 days) 21

3. The festive online shopper: 90 million carts, Rs 7,000 each

Redseer counted about 90 million shoppers transacting in the first 11 days of festive 2025, at an average spend of close to Rs 7,000 per shopper.[4] That single pairing — breadth times depth — is the festive economy's core equation, and the depth side is doing the work: in 2024 Redseer noted per-shopper spend rising 5–6% while new-shopper acquisition slowed on a ~250-million annual base.[11] The long arc is steep. Forrester counted ~75 million online festive buyers in 2021, when the festive month generated US$9.2 billion;[13] four years later, 90 million bought in eleven days. India now has ~290–300 million online shoppers overall — the world's third-largest base.[19]

90 millionShoppers in the first 11 days of festive 2025 (Redseer)[5]
~Rs 7,000Average spend per online festive shopper (Redseer)[5]
75 millionOnline festive buyers in all of 2021 — the four-year doubling benchmark (Forrester)[14]
290–300MIndia's total online shopper base in 2025, third-largest globally (IBEF)[20]

4. Online vs offline: where the money actually moves

Set the two headline numbers side by side and the shape of the festive economy emerges: Rs 1.15 lakh crore online against Rs 6.05 lakh crore of total trade — roughly a fifth, over overlapping but not identical measurement windows.[7][1] The offline economy remains the centre of gravity: CAIT attributes ~85% of festive sales to traditional and non-corporate markets, with rural and semi-urban India alone contributing 28%.[2] Online, concentration is the story — horizontal platforms Flipkart and Amazon account for nearly two-thirds of festive transactions, and Flipkart alone added over 220,000 temporary roles for the season.[7] Organised brick-and-mortar sits between the two: RAI's survey of organised retailers recorded 11% growth across its 87-day festive window.[8]

~1/5thFestive e-commerce GMV (Rs 1.15L cr) as a share of CAIT's Rs 6.05L cr total trade[8]
85%Share of festive sales through traditional, non-corporate markets (CAIT)[3]
28%Rural and semi-urban India's contribution to festive trade (CAIT)[3]
~2/3rdsFestive online transactions on Flipkart + Amazon; 220,000+ Flipkart seasonal hires[8]
"People read the festive numbers as one market, but it is really three: the bazaar, the mall and the phone. They grow at different speeds and they reward different things. The phone rewards discovery; the bazaar rewards trust. A brand has to earn both."— Ramola Bachchan, Founder, First Resort

5. Category mix: what India buys for Diwali

CAIT's sector split is the cleanest available map of festive demand. Grocery and FMCG lead at 12% of trade, gold and jewellery take 10%, electronics 8%, and fashion shows up twice — ready-made garments at 7% and textiles/fabrics at 4% — a combined ~11% of the festive basket.[1][3] Online, the mix skews harder to electronics: high-ASP categories (mobiles, electronics, large appliances) made up ~67% of week-1 GMV as far back as 2023.[12] Fashion's online festive story is about volume and timing rather than GMV share — in 2024 fashion ran at ~3x business-as-usual during the festive window with ethnic wear leading in Tier-2 cities,[11] though the first leg of 2025 saw fashion GMV up only low single digits as electronics absorbed the GST windfall.[4] How that demand translates into occasion-wear silhouettes and price points is the subject of our companion piece on festive & occasion wear; the shopping itself concentrates in festive wear, occasion wear and indo-western edits.

12% / 10% / 8%Grocery, gold & jewellery, electronics — top CAIT festive categories[4]
~11%Fashion's combined festive-trade share: garments 7% + textiles 4% (CAIT)[2]
~67%Week-1 online GMV from high-ASP categories (mobiles, electronics, appliances), 2023[13]
3x BAUFashion's festive-period run-rate vs normal months in 2024, ethnic-wear-led (Redseer)[12]

CAIT sector split of Diwali 2025 trade — grocery leads at 12%, gold & jewellery 10%, garments 7% and textiles 4% put fashion near a combined 11%.[1][3]

CAIT Diwali 2025 trade share by category (%)
Category Share (%)
Grocery & FMCG 12
Gold & jewellery 10
Electronics & electricals 8
Ready-made garments 7
Consumer durables 7
Gift items 7
Home decor 5
Furniture & furnishing 5
Sweets & namkeen 5
Textiles & fabrics 4

6. Gold, jewellery and the Dhanteras spike

No festive category spikes like jewellery. The India Gem & Jewellery Domestic Council put the two Dhanteras days of 2025 at 50–60 tonnes of jewellery sold, worth about Rs 85,000 crore — flat in volume year-on-year but up a remarkable 35–40% in value, because domestic gold prices had climbed 60% in a year.[16][17] The five-day Dhanteras-to-Bhai-Dooj window was projected at 100–120 tonnes, worth Rs 1–1.35 lakh crore — that is, five days of jewellery roughly matching the entire month's e-commerce GMV.[16] Price-stressed buyers adapted rather than exited: silver sales nearly doubled, bar-and-coin volumes almost doubled as investment buying took over, and digital gold purchases jumped 62% month-on-month to Rs 22 billion in October.[16][17] Even online the lustre carried — Amazon logged 390% growth in lab-grown diamond jewellery and a 200% surge in precious jewellery and silver coins.[14]

Rs 85,000 croreJewellery sold in the two Dhanteras days of 2025 — 50–60 tonnes (GJC)[17]
+35–40%Dhanteras jewellery value growth despite flat volumes, on 60% costlier gold (GJC/WGC)[17]
Rs 1–1.35 lakh croreProjected five-day festive jewellery window, 100–120 tonnes (GJC)[17]
+390% / +200%Amazon festive growth in lab-grown diamonds / precious jewellery & silver coins[15]

7. The premium paradox of festive 2025

Festive 2025 produced a split verdict on premium. On one side, premiumisation ran hot in electronics and jewellery: premium smartphones (Rs 30,000+) grew 30% on Amazon — with 65% of that contribution from tier-2/3 cities — QLED TVs grew 105%, and No-Cost EMI covered ~80% of electronics and appliance purchases.[14][15] On the other side, premium apparel softened: GST 2.0 moved garments above Rs 2,500 into an 18% slab while apparel up to Rs 2,500 dropped to 5%, and RAI recorded visibly stronger demand at value price points with softer sales above the threshold — a price-sensitivity pattern that persisted into December.[8][9] The paradox resolves on financing and stakes: shoppers stretched for durable, financeable premium (phones, TVs, gold) while turning tactical on wardrobe spend. For premium fashion, festive 2025 was a reminder that the trade-up consumer exists but responds sharply to the final price on the tag.

+30%Premium smartphone (Rs 30,000+) festive growth — 65% contributed by tier-2/3 (Amazon)[15]
18% vs 5%GST 2.0 slabs: apparel above Rs 2,500 vs up to Rs 2,500 — the premium-fashion fault line[10]
+9% / +12%RAI festive-window growth in apparel / footwear, led by value price points[9]
~80%Electronics & appliance festive purchases on No-Cost EMI (Amazon)[16]

8. The Bharat surge: Tier-2/3 takes the wheel

The clearest structural shift in the festive economy is geographic. Redseer measured 60–65% of festive 2025 online shoppers coming from Tier-2+ cities.[4] Amazon's Great Indian Festival drew 276 crore customer visits — its highest ever — with 70% from tier-2/3 cities, and two-thirds of its participating small businesses based there too.[14][15] The trend has depth as well as breadth: in the 2024 season Myntra took 45% of orders from Tier-2/3 and beyond while Amazon drew 80% of its 11 crore opening-48-hour visitors from smaller cities,[18] and IBEF pegs Tier-2+ markets at ~65% of all incremental online shoppers in India.[19] RAI's 2026 outlook names this the "Bharat surge" — smaller cities no longer participating in festive growth but leading it.[10]

60–65%Festive 2025 online shoppers from Tier-2+ cities (Redseer)[5]
276 croreAmazon Great Indian Festival 2025 customer visits — 70% from tier-2/3[15]
45%Myntra festive orders from Tier-2/3 and beyond, 2024 opening (Unicommerce coverage)[19]
~65%Share of India's incremental online shoppers coming from Tier-2+ markets (IBEF)[20]

9. Quick commerce joins the festival

Festive 2025 was the first season where quick commerce mattered. Redseer forecast ~150% year-on-year festive growth for the channel — against 20–25% for e-commerce overall — with value-focused platforms compounding at 30–35%.[6] Through the sale weeks themselves quick commerce sustained business-as-usual growth above 120%, serving grocery, gifting and last-minute top-ups while big-ticket electronics stayed on the horizontal platforms.[4] The channel's festive role rides a violent base effect: IBEF puts quick commerce at a 110–130% CAGR across 2021–25, heading toward a projected US$65–70 billion by 2030.[19] Grocery — already the largest single CAIT festive category at 12% — is the beachhead, but each festive season pulls more categories into the 30-minute window.[6][3]

~150%Quick commerce festive 2025 YoY growth forecast — ~7x the e-commerce average (Redseer)[7]
>120%Quick commerce business-as-usual growth sustained through the festive sale weeks (Redseer)[5]
110–130% CAGRQuick commerce growth 2021–25, projected to US$65–70B by 2030 (IBEF)[20]

10. Timing arc and the 2026 outlook

The festive economy runs far longer than Diwali week. RAI measures an 87-day window — 1 August to 26 October in 2025 — across which organised retail grew 11%, led by West India at 13%.[8] Online, the season compresses into 30–35 days from late September and increasingly shows two peaks: the flagship-sale opening (Day 0+1 GMV up 23–25% in 2025, amplified by GST cuts landing that same day) and a second crest around Dhanteras.[5][6] For 2026, the guidance stacks one way: RAI expects double-digit growth for India's ~US$1.1 trillion retail industry on policy stability and rising incomes;[10] Redseer guides 17–22% full-year e-commerce growth;[7] IBEF projects the e-commerce market nearly tripling from US$125 billion (2024) to US$345 billion by 2030;[19] and CAIT's trader confidence index exited the season at 8.6/10.[3] For brands planning festive 2026 — including our own party wear and evening wear ranges — the operating assumption is a bigger season, decided earlier, further from the metros.

87 daysRAI's measured festive window (1 Aug–26 Oct 2025), organised retail +11%[9]
Double-digitRAI's 2026 growth expectation for India's ~US$1.1 trillion retail industry[11]
17–22%Redseer's full-year e-commerce growth guidance beyond the festive spike[8]
US$125B → 345BIndia e-commerce, 2024 to projected 2030 (IBEF)[20]
"The festive quarter is when India gives every retailer an honest answer. Whatever you believed about your customer in July, October will confirm it or correct it — at scale."— Ramola Bachchan, Founder, First Resort

Frequently Asked Questions

How big was India's festive season trade in 2025?

Record-breaking. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) measured Rs 6.05 lakh crore in Diwali 2025 trade — Rs 5.40 lakh crore in goods and Rs 65,000 crore in services — up 25% from Rs 4.25 lakh crore in 2024. The survey covered 60 major distribution centres across metros and Tier-2/3 cities, and CAIT called it the highest festive trade value in India's retail history.

How much of India's festive shopping happens online?

A meaningful but still minority share. Festive e-commerce GMV crossed Rs 1.15 lakh crore in 2025 (Redseer) against CAIT's Rs 6.05 lakh crore total festive trade — roughly a fifth, measured over overlapping but not identical windows. The offline economy still dominates: traditional and non-corporate markets contributed about 85% of CAIT-measured sales, and rural plus semi-urban India alone accounted for 28%.

How many Indians shop online during the festive season?

About 90 million shoppers transacted in just the first 11 days of the 2025 festive sales, per Redseer, from an annual online shopper base of roughly 290–300 million — the world's third largest after China and the US. For context, Forrester counted ~75 million festive online buyers in all of 2021, so the festive base has roughly doubled in four years.

What is the average festive online spend per shopper in India?

Close to Rs 7,000 per shopper across the first 11 days of festive 2025, per Redseer. Per-shopper spend has been the growth engine since 2024, when Redseer noted spend rising 5–6% even as new-shopper acquisition slowed — festive growth now comes from deeper wallets more than new users.

How fast did festive e-commerce grow in 2025 versus earlier years?

Festive 2025 grew 20–25% — the fastest in five years. The curve: 42% growth in 2021 (Forrester), ~19% in week 1 of 2023 (Redseer), a slower 12% in 2024, then reacceleration to 20–22% in the first leg of 2025. Redseer attributes the 2025 surge partly to GST 2.0 rate cuts landing on 22 September, the same day the sales began.

What sells most during Diwali season?

By CAIT's sector split of festive trade: grocery/FMCG 12%, gold and jewellery 10%, electronics and electricals 8%, ready-made garments 7%, consumer durables 7%, gift items 7%, home decor 5%, furniture 5%, sweets and namkeen 5%, textiles 4%. Online, mobiles and electronics dominate GMV — high-ASP categories were ~67% of week-1 sales as far back as 2023.

How big are Dhanteras gold and jewellery sales?

Enormous — jewellery is the festive season's single biggest spike. The India Gem & Jewellery Domestic Council estimated 50–60 tonnes of jewellery sold over the two Dhanteras days of 2025, worth about Rs 85,000 crore, with value up 35–40% year-on-year despite domestic gold prices rising 60%. The five-day Dhanteras-to-Bhai-Dooj window was projected at 100–120 tonnes worth Rs 1–1.35 lakh crore. Silver sales nearly doubled as buyers traded down from record-priced gold.

How important are Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities to festive sales?

They are now the majority. Redseer measured 60–65% of festive 2025 online shoppers coming from Tier-2+ cities; Amazon reported 70% of its 276 crore Great Indian Festival visits from tier-2/3; and even premium smartphone demand drew 65% of its contribution from smaller cities. IBEF attributes ~65% of India's incremental online shoppers to Tier-2+ markets — the "Bharat surge" that RAI expects to define 2026.

What role does quick commerce play in the festive season?

The fastest-growing channel, from a small base. Redseer forecast ~150% year-on-year festive growth for quick commerce in 2025, on top of a 110–130% CAGR across 2021–25 (IBEF). During the sales themselves, quick commerce sustained business-as-usual growth above 120% — shoppers used it for grocery and gifting top-ups while big-ticket purchases stayed on the horizontal platforms.

Did GST 2.0 help or hurt festive fashion sales?

Both, depending on price point. GST on apparel priced Rs 1,000–2,500 dropped to 5%, powering value fashion — RAI reported apparel up 9% and footwear up 12% across the festive window. But garments above Rs 2,500 moved to an 18% slab, and RAI recorded visibly softer demand in that premium band, with heightened price sensitivity in mid-to-premium segments persisting into December.

When does India's festive shopping season actually run?

The trade window is far longer than Diwali week. RAI measures an 87-day festive period — 1 August to 26 October in 2025 — spanning Onam, Navratri, Durga Puja, Dhanteras and Diwali. Online, the season concentrates into 30–35 days from late September, opening with the Flipkart and Amazon flagship events (Day 0+1 GMV grew 23–25% in 2025) and peaking again around Dhanteras — a dual-peak pattern Redseer flagged as GST-driven in 2025.

What is the outlook for India's festive retail economy in 2026?

Acceleration, on current guidance. RAI expects India's ~US$1.1 trillion retail industry to post double-digit growth in 2026 on policy stability and rising disposable incomes; Redseer guides full-year e-commerce growth of 17–22%; and IBEF projects Indian e-commerce nearly tripling from US$125 billion (2024) to US$345 billion by 2030. CAIT's own trader confidence index exited the 2025 season at 8.6 out of 10.

Dressing for the season itself: explore our festive wear, occasion wear and party wear collections — premium occasion and resort wear in sizes XS to 8XL.

Methodology. This report compiles published 2021–2026 data on India's festive retail economy from trade bodies (CAIT — Confederation of All India Traders; RAI — Retailers Association of India; GJC — India Gem & Jewellery Domestic Council), research and analyst houses (Redseer Strategy Consultants, Forrester, World Gold Council, IBEF), platform disclosures (Amazon India) and business press coverage of each (Business Today, Angel One, Apparel Resources, Outlook Business, Storyboard18, The Tribune/ANI, The Hans India). Festive measurement windows differ by source — CAIT surveys the Diwali trade period, RAI an 87-day Aug–Oct window, Redseer the ~30–35 day online sale season — and are stated inline wherever figures are compared. Currency conversions are as reported by the original source. All figures are footnoted inline and listed in full at the end. No internal First Resort sales data is included.
About First Resort by Ramola Bachchan. First Resort by Ramola Bachchan is a designer label specialising in resort and occasion wear for women — kaftans, tunics, dresses, co-ord sets, and silhouettes built for Indian destination travel and celebration. Sizes XS to 8XL, ships globally from India. Visit firstresort.in.

Related research: Festive & Occasion Wear Market in India 2026 · Tier-2 & Tier-3 City Fashion E-Commerce in India 2026 · Premiumization of Indian Fashion 2026

Sources

  1. CAIT — Record-Breaking Diwali Sales 2025 (official release). Diwali 2025 sales of Rs 5.40 lakh crore in goods + Rs 65,000 crore in services (Rs 6.05 lakh crore total), up 25% on Rs 4.25 lakh crore in 2024; 87% of consumers preferred Indian-made goods; ~50 lakh temporary jobs; category shares; survey across 60 distribution centres. View source
  2. Business Today — Diwali 2025 sales hit Rs 6.05 lakh crore (CAIT report). Coverage of the CAIT festive survey: Rs 6.05 lakh crore total, 25% growth, 85% of trade through traditional/non-corporate retail, rural and semi-urban India 28% of sales, 72% of traders crediting GST rationalisation. View source
  3. Angel One — India's Diwali 2025 Sales Reach Record Rs 6.05 Lakh Crore. CAIT sector-wise festive trade distribution: grocery/FMCG 12%, gold & jewellery 10%, electronics 8%, garments 7%, gifts 7%, home decor 5%; trader confidence index 8.6/10, consumer confidence 8.4/10. View source
  4. Redseer — E-commerce Festive Sale Trends, 1st leg (11 days), 2025. First 11 days of festive 2025 closed at INR 60,000–62,000 crore GMV, up 20–22% YoY and ~3.5x business-as-usual; ~90 million shoppers at ~INR 7,000 average spend; 60–65% of shoppers from Tier-2+ cities; fashion low single-digit growth; quick commerce sustaining >120% BAU growth. View source
  5. Redseer — Festive 2025 Day 0 + Day 1 Sales Surge. Opening two days (22–23 Sept 2025) online GMV up 23–25% YoY — 4x–5x the opening-days growth of festive 2024; GST 2.0 cuts (TVs 28%→18%, fashion Rs 1,000–2,500 to 5%) amplified demand. View source
  6. Redseer via PR Newswire — Best Festive Period for E-commerce in 5 Years. Festive 2025 e-commerce GMV forecast to cross INR 1.15 lakh crore, growing 20–25% YoY — the best festive in five years; quick commerce ~150% YoY; value commerce 30–35%; fashion, beauty and home sustaining >20% growth; a "dual-peak" season shaped by GST simplification. View source
  7. IBEF — E-commerce GMV set to cross Rs 1,15,000 crore in festive season (Redseer). Festive 2025 e-commerce GMV Rs 1,15,000 crore (US$13.12 billion); horizontal platforms (Flipkart, Amazon) ~two-thirds of festive transactions; Flipkart adding 220,000+ temporary roles; full-year e-commerce growth guided at 17–22%. View source
  8. Apparel Resources — RAI reports 11% festive retail growth (2025). RAI 87-day festive window (1 Aug–26 Oct 2025) retail sales up 11% YoY; apparel +9%, footwear +12%; West India +13%, North +10%, East +10%, South +9%; apparel above Rs 2,500 (18% GST) saw softer demand than value price points. View source
  9. Apparel Resources — RAI survey, December 2025. India retail sales up 10% in December 2025 after the 11% festive-season rise; apparel and footwear +9%; GST structure (5% on apparel up to Rs 2,500, higher above) driving heightened price sensitivity in mid-to-premium segments. View source
  10. Outlook Business — Retail Sector Set for Accelerated Growth in 2026 (RAI). India retail industry valued at ~US$1.1 trillion with double-digit growth expected in 2026; 2025 described as a "Bharat surge" year with tier-2/3 cities leading growth; GST cuts and income-tax relief drove record festive-quarter sales. View source
  11. Storyboard18 — E-commerce recorded $14 billion festive GMV (Redseer, 2024). Festive 2024 (15 Sept–31 Oct) e-commerce GMV ~US$14 billion, up 12% YoY; per-shopper spend up 5–6% on a ~250-million annual shopper base; fashion ~3x business-as-usual during the festive period; smaller cities grew 13%. View source
  12. Redseer — INR 47,000 crore GMV in Week 1 of the 2023 festive sale. Festive 2023 week 1 clocked ~INR 47,000 crore GMV, up ~19% YoY; high-ASP categories (mobiles, electronics, appliances) ~67% of sales; ~30% of high-ASP shoppers used financing. View source
  13. Forrester — Holiday 2021: India's festive season online sales. Festive month 2021 generated US$9.2 billion in online sales, up 42% from ~US$6.5 billion in 2020; ~75 million online buyers participated, of whom ~50 million came from tier-2 cities and beyond. View source
  14. About Amazon India — Great Indian Festival 2025 results. 276 crore customer visits, 70% from tier-2/3 cities; premium smartphones (Rs 30,000+) +30% with 65% contribution from tier-2/3; lab-grown diamond jewellery +390% YoY; precious jewellery and silver coins +200%; same-day deliveries +60% YoY. View source
  15. The Hans India — Amazon Great Indian Festival 2025 breaks records. GIF 2025 detail: 1.4 crore same-day and 2.8 crore next-day deliveries; two-thirds of participating SMBs from tier-2/3 cities; UPI ~25% of transactions; No-Cost EMI on ~80% of electronics/appliance purchases; customers saved over Rs 1,000 crore. View source
  16. The Tribune / ANI — GJC: Dhanteras jewellery sales hit Rs 85,000 crore. India Gem & Jewellery Domestic Council: 50–60 tonnes of jewellery sold over the two Dhanteras days (~Rs 85,000 crore), value up 35–40% YoY; five-day festive window projected at 100–120 tonnes worth Rs 1–1.35 lakh crore; silver sales nearly doubled. View source
  17. World Gold Council — India gold market update: seasonal strength (Nov 2025). Festive 2025 gold demand resilient despite domestic prices up 60% YoY: jewellery sales up ~a quarter YoY for many retailers, bar/coin volumes nearly doubling, digital gold purchases +62% m/m to INR 22 billion (1.8 tonnes) in October. View source
  18. Outlook Business — Festive sales surge as tier-2/3 emerge as key markets (Unicommerce). Festive 2024 opening: order volumes up 20% YoY (Unicommerce); Myntra saw a 2x spike in peak orders per minute with 45% of orders from tier-2/3+; Amazon drew 11 crore visitors in 48 hours, 80% from tier-2/3; fashion orders +32%, makeup +54%. View source
  19. IBEF — E-commerce Industry in India. India e-commerce valued at US$125 billion (2024), projected to US$345 billion by 2030; ~290–300 million online shoppers in 2025 (third-largest base globally), tier-2+ cities ~65% of incremental shoppers; quick commerce grew at 110–130% CAGR over 2021–25. View source

Need help choosing the right style? Chat with our team.

Chat Now Call Email