Festive Season 2024 Closes With 14% Order Surge: Report

The 2024 festive season sale concluded on a high note, with order volumes rising over 14 per cent year-over-year and Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) growing by more than 18 per cent compared to 2023’s Diwali sales.

Insights from Unicommerce show that while purchase opportunities were spread across the entire sale period, the bulk of shopping took place during the initial days. The sale event featured ongoing discounts across festive milestones like Navratri, Dussehra, Dhanteras, Diwali, Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj.

Analysis of Unicommerce’s data indicates standout performance in emerging ecommerce categories, with travel accessories and health devices experiencing over 100 per cent growth in order volumes year-over-year. Gaming accessories also saw strong demand, with over 85 per cent YoY growth.

Traditional categories remained popular as well, with beauty and makeup products achieving over 100 per cent increase in order volumes compared to last year’s festive sale. Toys and baby products saw over 50 per cent growth while kids’ apparel recorded over 30 per cent YoY growth. Additionally, dietary foods, healthy snacks and supplements saw a more than 40 per cent rise and kitchenware products grew by over 30 per cent compared to the previous year’s festive season.

Tier 3 cities and beyond outperformed Tier 2 towns in market share, capturing 36.4 per cent of order volumes compared to Tier two’s 23.5 per cent. However, Tier One cities and metropolitan areas maintained the largest market share this year at 40.1 per cent.

Brands and ecommerce companies are increasingly leveraging technology to manage order returns amid the festive season’s surge in demand. Several categories saw a decrease in return rates, with electronics and gaming accessories dropping from 20.5 per cent in 2023 to 16 per cent in 2024. Books also experienced a reduction, with return rates falling from 14 per cent to 11.5 per cent, and returns in travel accessories declined from 20.2 per cent to 18 per cent.

Ecommerce sales are set to continue beyond the festive period, with major events like Black Friday, Christmas and year-end sales still ahead.