Quick commerce fuels record Christmas sales for D2C brands

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• Quick commerce drove 100-150 percent YoY festive sales growth for D2C brands
• Dec 25 delivery worker strike halved Christmas sales growth for some brands
• Post-Christmas order flow rebounded, with high demand for snacks and beverages.

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Quick commerce platforms delivered strong Christmas sales for direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands this year, with sellers reporting 100-150 percent year-on-year (YoY) growth during the holiday period, according to several brands Moneycontrol spoke with.

Higher order frequency, larger basket sizes and last-minute purchases drove demand, as consumers increasingly relied on instant delivery for food, snacks, beverages and gifting-led consumption.

Brands said quick commerce has shifted from being a top-up channel to a planned festive sales channel, particularly in large metros. Platforms such as Instamart, Blinkit and Zepto saw elevated activity across impulse-led categories through Christmas week, with consumers shopping closer to the moment of consumption.

How did D2C brands perform on quick commerce this Christmas?

Devang Daya, founder of breakfast food brand Munchilicious, said the company saw a sharp jump in festive demand on quick commerce this year.

“Compared to last year, we saw 2–2.5x growth in sales value, driven largely by higher order frequency and better repeat consumption,” Daya said, adding that quick commerce now contributes a meaningful share of the brand’s festive sales, particularly in top metros where last-minute gifting and impulse indulgence peak.

What challenges did brands face on quick commerce during Christmas?

While demand was strong, brands said operational execution continues to shape outcomes on quick commerce.

Oral care brand Oracura, for instance, recorded around 60 percent overall growth across channels this year, with Christmas-period growth close to 100 percent year-on-year, but flagged persistent friction on the platform side.

“On quick commerce, the purchase order (PO) model, where platforms buy inventory upfront and manage stock, has worked much better for us than the seller-led model, especially for inventory control,” co-founder Sagar Awatade said.

“At the same time, issues like delayed appointments, system cancellations and inventory recalls continue to create friction, particularly during peak periods like Christmas,” he added.

Did the delivery worker strike impact Christmas sales?

These challenges were briefly compounded on December 25, when a nationwide strike by gig and delivery workers disrupted food delivery and quick commerce services in several cities.

The strike, called over issues related to pay, safety and social security, led to temporary slowdowns during peak hours before operations stabilised later in the day, Moneycontrol reported earlier.

The impact was visible in sales outcomes. “We had expected around 30 percent growth on quick commerce this Christmas across platforms such as Zepto, Blinkit and Instamart. However, effective growth was closer to 15 percent due to the strike,” said the founder of a consumer brand, speaking on condition of anonymity.

How did first-time festive sellers fare on quick commerce?

Toy brand Kidara Toys also reported a strong Christmas showing despite this being its first festive season on quick commerce. Founder Vanshi Agarwal said sales were 2.5x higher than business-as-usual on December 24 and 25, helped by platform-shared keyword insights and targeted campaigns.

“Quick commerce platforms shared keyword data with us, and running campaigns around those worked very well during the Christmas window,” Agarwal said, adding that while inventory movement at some NCR fulfilment centres remained tight, advance communication from platforms helped brands plan better.

Sellers said order flow recovered quickly after Christmas, with demand picking up again in the days following the holiday as consumers stock up ahead of New Year’s Eve. Categories such as snacks, ready-to-eat foods, desserts and beverages continue to see elevated traction in the final days of the year.