Amazon Sale Shatters Records: 38 Crore Visits in 2 Days as Premium Smartphone Demand Soars

The festive e-commerce season has roared to life, with Amazon India’s flagship sale, the Great Indian Festival, achieving an unprecedented start. The e-commerce giant reported a monumental 38 crore customer visits within the first two days of the sale, underscoring the explosive growth and deepening digital penetration in the country. This record-breaking engagement signifies the strongest ever opening for the platform and its network of sellers and brand partners.

A significant takeaway from the initial 48 hours is the geographical shift in demand. Amazon highlighted that over 70% of these customer visits originated from beyond the top nine metro cities, indicating the growing importance of Tier-2, Tier-3, and smaller towns in driving India’s digital commerce narrative. Prime members, who benefited from an early access period, were pivotal in generating demand from these non-metro regions across key categories like smartphones, appliances, and fashion.

Smartphones Lead the Premium Charge

Among the key product categories, smartphones witnessed robust double-digit growth, fueled by a clear trend towards premiumisation. The segment of smartphones priced above ₹20,000 was particularly strong, registering an impressive 50% year-on-year growth. This surge suggests that Indian consumers are increasingly willing to upgrade to higher-end devices, seeking advanced features and better technology.

The enthusiasm for premium products was not limited to mobile phones. Other high-value categories also saw significant momentum:

• Premium Televisions: QLED models saw a 23% year-on-year increase, while Mini-LED TVs grew by 27%.
• Laptops: Sales surged, with certain high-performance models performing exceptionally well compared to business-as-usual levels.
• Appliances: Categories like air conditioners and dishwashers both saw double-digit year-on-year growth, with customers enjoying benefits from reduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates on certain electronics.

Saurabh Srivastava, Vice President of Amazon India, described the initial 48 hours as their “biggest ever,” noting the unprecedented customer visits and the highest number of Prime members shopping during the early access phase. He also acknowledged the strong business growth for lakhs of sellers, including small businesses and local artisans.

The Seller and Financial Ecosystem

The festival also proved to be a lucrative period for Small and Medium Business (SMB) sellers, with the highest-ever participation recorded. Over two-thirds of these participating sellers hailed from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities and beyond. Remarkably, more than 16,000 SMBs managed to triple their sales compared to an average day.

Financial options played a crucial role in enabling big-ticket purchases. The platform saw a high adoption of Equated Monthly Installment (EMI) options, with one out of every five purchases being made with an EMI, and 80% of these being no-cost EMIs, primarily across mobile phones, appliances, and electronics. The Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit Card was used for one in nine orders, further highlighting the importance of flexible payment solutions.

As the Amazon Great Indian Festival continues until the Diwali period, the initial figures set a high benchmark, indicating a strong festive consumer sentiment and a definitive trend towards the adoption of premium technology across a widening geographical base in India.