India’s mid-year online sales season has delivered a strong boost to traditional e-commerce, with Amazon’s extended Prime Day and Flipkart’s GOAT Sale helping brands post record-breaking sales across categories.
From large consumer brands to emerging direct-to-consumer (D2C) players, sellers across the board are reporting historic highs—reinforcing the enduring appeal of large-scale e-commerce events, even as quick commerce apps continue to gain ground in urban India.
Amazon’s 2025 Prime Day, held from July 12 to 14 for the first time over three days, saw Prime members unlock exclusive deals across electronics, fashion, home and kitchen, and more.
Flipkart’s GOAT Sale, which ran during the same window, brought a similar wave of traffic and conversions. “GOAT 2025 has emerged as one of the most significant retail moments of the year for us,” said Pratik Shetty, Senior Director – Growth and Marketing, Flipkart, noting strong growth in mobiles, beauty, consumer electronics and fashion.
The sales bonanza comes at a time when quick commerce platforms like Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart are scaling rapidly.
According to a recent report by Flipkart and Bain & Company, more than two-thirds of online grocery orders and 10 percent of total e-retail spending in 2024 occurred via quick commerce platforms. However, the same report also highlights a sharp urban skew—nearly 85 percent of quick commerce gross merchandise value (GMV) last year came from just six cities.
In contrast, traditional e-commerce continues to expand its footprint across the heartland. Data from Unicommerce shows that during the July 11–14 sale period, Tier 2 and 3 cities led the growth in online shopping, with order volumes rising over 21 percent and 22 percent year-on-year respectively—outpacing even metros, which grew by 15 percent.
Atomberg, a fast-growing appliances brand, saw its highest single-day sales for mixer grinders—surpassing the entire July volume from last year. “With all the talk of q-com, we don’t see any slowdown in e-com growth, at least for our products,” said Arindam Paul, founding member and chief business officer (CBO) at Atomberg, in a post on social media platform X.
That demand surge was visible across sectors. Health and nutraceutical products saw a 77 percent jump in order volumes, while personal care rose 37 percent, and electronics and home appliances logged nearly 30 percent growth. Home décor, FMCG, and even books witnessed double-digit gains, according to Unicommerce.
“Today Amazon proved to all that national e-commerce is still wild and soaring,” said Ganesh Sonawane, founder and CEO of wellness brand Frido. “Amazon is akin to D2C where you don’t need category managers' discretion to make a product live and onboarded like one needs in quick com. Bullish on Amazon!”
Smaller players saw similar spikes. “Amazon Prime Day is a game-changer for us! ORACURA sees a whopping 5x jump in sales during the event,” said Sagar Awatade, founder of oral hygiene brand Oracura.
Toymaker Kidara Toys saw unprecedented traction too. “Prime Day is going lit for us. Highest ever orders in the last few months,” said founder Vanshi Agarwal, adding that their warehouse ran out of Amazon polybags mid-sale and had to quickly arrange alternatives to avoid dispatch delays.
While quick commerce thrives on impulse buys, convenience, and speed—especially in top-tier cities—larger e-commerce platforms continue to dominate when it comes to selection, price-driven events, and reach beyond metros. Flipkart, for instance, noted increased interest in new formats like live commerce and limited-time drops from emerging markets.
The platform’s faster delivery arm, Flipkart Minutes, played a key role too. “Customers continue to prioritise speed in delivery,” said Shetty. “At the same time, curated experiences like the 'GOAT Top 50' and broad payment options have helped make shopping seamless for millions.”
Ultimately, this sale season reaffirms that both models—quick and traditional commerce—are carving out distinct spaces in India’s digital retail ecosystem. While the top eight cities may be driving the quick commerce story, the sheer breadth and scale of traditional e-commerce, especially during marquee events, continue to deliver results that are hard to ignore.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
