Flipkart, Amazon see blockbuster festive sale on day one as Bharat joins hands with India
Amidst the talk of an economic slowdown, Flipkart and Amazon saw sales overtake last year’s number on day one with enthusiastic participation from Bharat.
The day one of the festive season sale 2019 for ecommerce biggies in India – Flipkart and Amazon – began on a very positive note as both of them said they have crossed last year’s numbers. This, to an extent, should allay any fears of an impact from economic slowdown.
As is the case every year, Flipkart and Amazon host special sale season just before the festivities begin. For Amazon, it is the Great Indian Festival and The Big Billion Day (TBBD) for Flipkart.
A statement from Flipkart said it has registered 2X sales growth on day one of TBBD 2019 compared to last year's Big Billion Day opening day. On the other hand, Amazon said more customers shopped on its platform than ever before with 91 percent of new customers coming from Tier II & III towns.
This year, it seems Bharat has given the big push to the ecommerce sales in the country as Amazon said it saw the single largest day of sign-ups for its premium customers – Prime with 66 percent of them coming from Tier II & III towns. Flipkart said the number of transacting customers from Tier II and beyond have doubled over 'TBBD 2018' on day one.
Kalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO, Flipkart Group, said:
“We started this festive season by setting audacious targets for ourselves and our teams. By all indications, this is going to be the biggest festive season that India has witnessed. There is no doubt that ecommerce has not only lifted consumer sentiment, but has also driven the industry to set new benchmarks. Affordability and value driven themes clearly are the pulsating chords for India and Bharat. We are in the centre of it all, and are able to serve the ecosystem for their unique needs.”
Amit Agarwal, Global Senior Vice-President and Country Head, Amazon India, said:
“We are humbled that first 36 hours of our Great Indian Festival has seen record participation from digital Bharat. With record Prime signups, more first-time shoppers from small towns than ever before and tens of thousands of small sellers across India already seeing success, we are excited by how India loves Amazon’s commitment to offer largest selection, great convenience and exceptional value to its customers."
Flipkart and Amazon, which are battling for the mindshare and wallet share of the online buyers, claimed that there has been an increase in sales across all categories - be it fashion, mobiles, large appliances, grocery, furniture, etc.
This year’s sale also saw the expansion of the credit option. Amazon said it saw 100 percent more customers opt for EMI over last year, and 75 percent of these coming form Tier II & III cities. According to Flipkart, customers opting for affordability options spent 2.5x more than other customers.
(Edited by Megha Reddy)
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