The Great Indian Festival 2023, Amazon’s flagship festive sale, has left an indelible mark on the e-commerce landscape, boasting a staggering 110 crore customer visits—a record-breaking achievement for the platform. Spanning a month, from October 8 to November 10, the event not only set a new benchmark in terms of visitor numbers but also saw unprecedented figures in transactions, new launches, orders, and savings, as revealed in a statement from the e-commerce giant.
This shopping spectacle’s success was underlined by several key metrics. The initial 48 hours witnessed the highest single-day Prime sign-ups ever, indicating a robust start to the festive season. Interestingly, more than 65% of Prime members engaged in festive shopping hailed from tier 2 and 3 cities—a testament to Amazon’s expanding reach beyond metropolitan areas.
The Great Indian Festival welcomed over 40 lakh new customers, with a substantial 80% of them originating from tier 2 and below towns. Amazon’s extensive reach was further emphasized by the delivery of at least one order to over 19,000+ pin codes across India.
The sale experienced a significant uptick in the premium smartphone segment, with sales surging 2.5 times compared to the previous year. Affordability options such as No Cost EMI and Exchange offers played a pivotal role in this growth. Notably, 60% of smartphones sold were 5G ready, and a substantial 70% of smartphone orders came from tier 2 and below towns.
Large-screen TVs, especially those measuring 55 inches and above, witnessed an unprecedented surge in sales, surpassing the figures from 2022 by over 50%. In the Consumer Electronics and Personal Computing categories, three out of five orders hailed from tier 2 and 3 cities. The appliances category saw air conditioners leading the growth, experiencing a remarkable 2x growth compared to other appliances.
Premium product categories like jewelry and smartwatches observed a spike in demand. New smartwatch launches saw growth rates nearly five times the usual rate. Surprisingly, over 45% of customers in the appliances category opted to upgrade to premium appliances.
The availability of flexible financing options on Amazon significantly contributed to the success of premium product sales. A notable one out of four purchases was made on EMI, with three out of four products sold on No Cost EMIs. Amazon Pay Later, an innovative financing option, witnessed a significant surge, reaching 2.4 times compared to the previous year. The EMI share doubled as Amazon expanded credit to INR 1 lakh.
While celebrating its success, Amazon also acknowledged the pivotal role of its sellers in this achievement. Over 38,000 sellers experienced their highest-ever single-day sales, with more than 750 sellers achieving sales worth crores and 31,000 sellers achieving sales worth lakhs during the festive season.
Manish Tiwary, Country Manager, India Consumer Business, Amazon, expressed gratitude, stating, “We also saw the highest ever Prime sign-ups in a single day this season along with the highest seller participation along with 5,000 new launches from top brands. A heartfelt thank you to our customers, brand and bank partners, sellers, and delivery associates, for making this the biggest celebration ever in the history of our operations in India.”
This triumphant performance during the Great Indian Festival not only underscores Amazon’s dominance in the e-commerce space but also reflects the changing dynamics of online shopping in India, with increased participation from smaller cities and towns. The record-breaking figures across various categories point towards a paradigm shift in consumer behavior, with a growing acceptance of online platforms for fulfilling diverse shopping needs. As Amazon continues to innovate and expand its offerings, the Great Indian Festival’s success serves as a testament to the evolving landscape of e-commerce in India.