As India battles yet another harsh summer, online shoppers are cooling off with a click. Quick commerce and e-commerce platforms are seeing a huge surge in demand for summer essentials — ice creams, cold drinks, fans, air conditioners, and even ice trays – as consumers turn to digital storefronts for a quick relief from the searing heat.
Platforms such as Zepto, Flipkart Minutes and Amazon have seen sales jump significantly across seasonal categories, driven by rising temperatures, expanding assortments, and hyper-personalised merchandising, executives at these firms told Moneycontrol.
On Zepto, beverage sales in April were nearly double those in January. Ice creams saw over a 50 percent spike in March, with demand rising in April as well. Portable USB fans, especially affordable models from brands such as Portronics, are emerging as surprise bestsellers – outpacing even traditional cooling appliances.
Demand for ceiling fans and air coolers, too, saw soared in March and April as temperatures spiked across metros and Tier 1 cities.
“Over the past six weeks, we’ve seen a sharp summer-driven spike across key seasonal categories on Zepto…We’re spotlighting these products through in-app placements, curated summer storefronts, and active merchandising,” Zepto chief business officer Devendra Meel said.
The heat is on
The company is doubling down on hyperlocal data to predict demand at the PIN code level and plans to expand its assortment as the heat lingers, Meel said.
Flipkart Minutes is seeing a similar surge. Between March and April, health and energy drink sales tripled, while fruit drinks rose 1.7X and buttermilk and aerated beverages doubled. Mango ice cream, predictably, is flying off virtual shelves – alongside ice trays, hydration accessories and even pre-frozen ice cubes.
The platform reported over a million searches for “ice cream,” making it the most-searched item in recent months.
Customer behaviour shows a clear shift: impulse purchases peak in the afternoon and early evening, with bundling of summer combos – like mangoes and snacks or ice cream and soft drinks – on the rise. Weekend sales are particularly strong, especially for indulgent categories like desserts and skincare.
“These trends reflect a sharp consumer shift toward quick, cooling relief as temperatures soared,” a Flipkart Minutes spokesperson said.
The company has launched a dedicated seasonal storefront to “display” these items more prominently. “The summer store on Flipkart Minutes will serve as a one-stop destination for all summer-related essentials, backed by smart merchandising and real-time consumer demand tracking,” the spokesperson added.
Tier 2, 3 play
Demand is no longer confined to big cities. Ahmedabad, Lucknow, and Jaipur are now major drivers of growth for Flipkart Minutes, with sub-10-minute delivery times becoming the norm even in smaller cities such as Faridabad and Gandhinagar.
Amazon is riding a heatwave of its own — in the form of high-value appliances. Premium air conditioners and refrigerators saw 2X year-on-year growth, particularly in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, where AC demand doubled and refrigerator sales rose by 1.5X as of April. Shoppers prefer energy-efficient, large-capacity units like 2-ton ACs and refrigerators above 300 litres.
“The cooling appliances category on Amazon.in has shown double-digit growth over the past two years with a notable shift toward energy-efficient solutions,” said Zeba Khan, director, consumer electronics at Amazon India. Competitive pricing, seasonal sales and after-sales services across 300 cities have further boosted conversions.
Ice cream brands are riding this momentum too. Gujarat-based Hocco has seen quick commerce emerge as a key driver of growth.
According to founder Ankit Chona, “Quick commerce is clearly growing much faster than any other sales channel. Last year, around 7–8 percent of our total sales came from quick commerce, and we anticipate this figure to be upwards of 20 percent this year.”
The appeal is obvious – instant gratification. “If I'm craving an ice cream post lunch, the easiest thing for me to do is to just go on a quick commerce app and order ice cream. That’s what is particularly led to the growth in ice cream sales,” he said.
Hocco is also experimenting with playful and premium flavours such as mango-shaped Aamchi, Kulfi, cherry, pistachio, and salted caramel popcorn, some of which are selling faster than they can be restocked.
Platforms have ramped up frozen supply chains and invested in training delivery teams to handle cold items with care. “Quick commerce is a channel that allows us to experiment more,” Chona said.
Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart declined to comment on queries sent by Moneycontrol.
With no sign of summer letting up, the pattern is clear: India is reaching for digital relief in record numbers. Whether it’s a mid-day mango craving or a last-minute fan order, platforms are racing to deliver a cool fix in minutes. For now, the heat is on – and business is booming.
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