Amazon Great Indian Festival 2024 Receives Biggest Opening Ever

 

Recorded the highest number of Prime members ever shopping during the first 24 hours of Prime Early Access (PEA)

 

• The Amazon Great Indian Festival 2024 witnessed a record 11 crore customer visits in the first 48 hours, with 80% coming from Tier 2 and smaller towns
• The highest number of Prime members ever shopped across multiple categories, purchasing 8X more in the first 24 hours of Prime Early Access than the average daily purchases
• More than 3 Lakh unique products including apparel, smartphones, beauty, everyday essentials and more, delivered within the same-day or next-day
• The reach and impact of the Amazon Great Indian Festival extended far and wide, with SMBs, including women entrepreneurs, weavers, and artisans, selling over 1,500 units every minute during the first 48 hours with over 8,000 sellers surpassing INR 1 lakh in sales
• More than 65% of sellers who received an order were from tier 2 and 3 cities, such as Moradabad, Saharanpur, Churu, Tiruvallur, Haridwar, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Surat, and Pune
• With attractive offers from SBI Debit and Credit cards, Customers saved INR 240cr on their shopping in the first 48 hours of the sale
• EMI drove upgrades with 1 out of every 5 purchases being made with EMI, and 4 out of 5 being No Cost EMI
• UPI usage grew 16% compared to last year; More than 1 in 4 customers used Amazon Pay instruments to shop; 1 in 11 orders were made using the Amazon Pay ICICI Co-Branded Credit Card
• Amazon Business witnessed a 4.5X surge in new customer sign-ups in the first 24 hrs, compared to average business days
• India Shopped for Ultra-Affordable Products with Amazon Bazaar

 

Bengaluru. The Amazon Great Indian Festival, which started from 27th September with 24-hour early access for Prime members, has seen the biggest ever opening for its sellers and brand partners on Amazon.in. Bringing happiness to lakhs of customers across the country, the first 48 hours of Amazon Great Indian Festival 2024 have been the best ever with nearly 11 crore customer visits and over 8,000 sellers surpassing INR 1 lakh in sales. Customers got access to more than 25,000 new product launches across categories such as laptops, TVs, fashion and beauty, home décor, appliances, furniture, smartphones and groceries from top brands.

 

Amazon Prime - Sach mein too much!

The highest ever number of Prime members shopped during first 24 hours AGIF 2024 (PEA) with more than 140% members shopping during this time and purchasing 8X more vs average daily purchases. More than 3 Lakh unique products including smartphones, beauty products, apparel, everyday essentials and more, were delivered within the same-day or next-day.

 

The Amazon Great Indian Festival 2024 witnessed encouraging demand from tier II and tier III cities, across key categories including Appliances, Fashion and Beauty, Smartphones and Furniture from popular brands such as Apple, Samsung, OnePlus, LG, Sony, Xiaomi, Daikin BIBA, Safari, American Tourister, Compton, IFB, Ariel, Eureka Forbes and many more. Facilitating affordability and easy access to credit, 1 in 3 customers leveraged the attractive SBI Credit Card EMI offers to make their purchase. Amazon also witnessed more than 40% growth in No Cost EMIs transactions with 90% of all EMI purchases for Mobiles, Washing Machines, TVs, Refrigerators, ACs, Video Games (including PS5) being through No Cost EMIs.

 

“The first 48 hours of Amazon Great Indian Festival 2024 have been historic and the best ever for Amazon.in! We are thrilled to witness the biggest ever opening with a record 11 crore customer visits, and highest number of Prime members shopping during PEA. We also witnessed an overwhelming  participation of sellers across India, including, small and medium businesses, and thousands of sellers became lakhpatis during the first 48 hrs of AGIF ‘24. We are excited with this encouraging start to our month-long Amazon Great Indian Festival and a big thank you to our sellers, brand partners, delivery associates, and teams who brought the festive cheer early for our customers across India," said Saurabh Srivastava, Vice President – Categories, Amazon India.

 

It’s a Seller-bration

• Great Indian Festival 2024 has kicked off to a phenomenal start for sellers, showcasing the incredible growth of small and medium businesses (SMBs) across India,
• This momentum continued to build, with an all-time high number of sellers recording sales within the initial 48 hours of the festive event, as compared to previous editions, over 65% hailing from tier 2, 3 cities and beyond
• The reach and impact of Great Indian Festival extended far and wide, with SMBs, including women entrepreneurs, weavers, and artisans, selling over 1,500 units every minute during the first 48 hours.
• Over 8,000 SMBs received their highest-ever single day sales, marking a significant milestone in their growth journey.
• Additionally, over 20,000 SMBs doubled their sales as compared to an average day.
• Over 8,000 sellers surpassed INR 1 lakh in sales within the first two days of the event

 

Ashwini Kumar, Owner of Haryana Mart (part of the Local shop initiative), said “The Amazon Great Indian Festival has always been our busiest season, especially since we primarily sell wooden temples. This year, we saw a 100% increase in sales within the first 48 hours compared to normal days, and nearly doubled the sales compared to last year. We’re excited to continue delighting customers throughout the festive season and look forward to more such success.”

 

Rohit Ahuja, Owner of Gymific (part of the Launchpad initiative) said “We are absolutely exhilarated with the outstanding results we achieved during the first 48 hours of our sale on Amazon. As a small and medium business, our sales surged to an incredible 2.3X within just the first two days of going live! We are excited to continue delighting customers throughout this festive sale and look forward to further amplifying our success with Amazon.”

 

Pay, Scan and Do More with Amazon Pay

• 1 in 11 orders were on Amazon Pay ICICI Co-Branded Credit Card this year
• Amazon Pay UPI usage grew the highest ever at 16% YoY, reflective of the increased comfort Indians have with digital payments today
• India is making big travel plans this festive season with Amazon Pay. Customers booked 2X more flight tickets and 1.6X more hotel bookings compared to last year. Almost 50% of these bookings came from new customers

 

Amazon is Bharat’s Apni Dukaan

• More than 75% of all smartphone sales came from Tier 2-3 towns with almost 70% of all premium smartphone sales (>INR 30,000) being from Tier 2 & beyond cities
• Nearly 80% of all Television orders came from Tier 2 - 3 cities with 50% customers opting for EMI
• Laptops saw 5X growth from Tier2-3 cities (vs Tier 1), while Headphones and Cameras saw double digit growth in Tier 2 and 3 cities YoY
• For Appliances such as washing machines, refrigerators and air conditioners, tier-2 and 3 customers registered 1.4X growth compared to Tier 1 cities YoY
• Amazon Fashion and Beauty saw more than 60% of new customers hailing from Tier 2 and beyond  cities contributing to over 55% of total orders placed within the first 48hrs of the Amazon's Great Indian Festival
• Amazon Fresh continues to make a significant impact across 130+ cities; Tier-II and Tier-III cities saw 1.6X increase over business as usual (BAU)
• Amazon India witnessed a 2.5X YoY increase in the purchase of daily needs with 50% of all new shoppers coming from Tier II cities and beyond
• Amazon India saw more than 30% growth in categories like Water purifiers, Large furniture, Air-fryers and robotic vacuum cleaners across Tier-2 and below cities
• More than 70% of Amazon Bazaar shoppers came from Tier-2 and below cities

 

Customers shopped for everything big and small

• Customers upgraded to their favourite Mobiles, Washing Machines, TVs, Refrigerators, ACs, Gaming consoles leveraging the extensive affordability options including exchange, EMI, bank discounts, cashbacks, rewards and door-step installation and setup (across 400+ cities)
• More than 2 Lakh customers purchased a mobile phone for the first time on Amazon.in while premium smartphones (>INR 30,000) saw the highest YoY growth of over 30% among all price segments with Apple, OnePlus and Samsung being the most preferred premium brands
• Customers upgraded to bigger screens with large screen televisions contributing to almost 50% of sale with Samsung, Xiaomi, Sony & LG emerging as the most preferred TV brands
• In the first 48 hours, Gaming laptops saw 19X Growth in sales vs pre-festive sale period. The premium gaming laptop category (40 series GPU and above) grew by 35X while Intel Core Ultra AI laptops sales grew by 36X in comparison to pre-festive sale period
• Amazon India saw an increasing preference towards premium tablets. 60% of the tablet sales were in 30K-50K price segment, which is 50% higher than last year. Demand for iPad and Samsung Tablets grew by 63X and by 12X respectively YoY in the opening days of the sale
• In the First 48 hours, sales for premium ANC headphones grew by 30% YoY. Sales for Premium party speakers grew by 250% YoY while premium headphones increased by 30% YoY with JBL and Sony being the most popular brands
• For the first time, premium cameras were available with 18 month No Cost EMI option. GoPro, Sony, Insta360 were the top brands in cameras during the initial 48 hours of AGIF growing at 1.5X YoY
• There was an increasing demand for Premium Fitness focused smartwatches, Brands like Amazfit and Samsung grew by 90% and 60% respectively YoY
• Customers took advantage of deals on Fire TV products making Fire TV Stick and Redmi Smart Fire TV 32 among the best-sellers during the first 48 hours of AGIF ‘24
• Large appliances such as washing machines, refrigerators, and air conditioners observed a 1.7X spike vs BAU for customers availing exchange offer and 1.6X spike vs BAU for customers availing No Cost EMI offers
• The most loved appliances were high capacity washing machines which grew by 50% and Side by Side refrigerators which grew by 25% over last year. Customers opted for top brands such as LG, Samsung, Haier and Daikin
• Customers purchased over 35% more watches while premium watches witnessed over 2X spike YoY 
• Luxury Fragrances and women’s ethnic wear witnessed a 1.5X spike YoY from brands like Guess, Davidoff, Calvin Klein, Janasya, Biba and more
• Luggage witnessed over 6.5X spike vs. BAU and Trolley sets within Luggage category witnessed 23X spike vs. BAU led by brands like Safari, Samsonite Group, American Tourister and VIP
• Shoes, Makeup and Bath and Shower categories saw a 4X Spike vs BAU
• Gold and Diamond (incl. lab grown diamonds) Jewelry saw over 5X YoY spike in demand vs BAU
• The strong selection of GenZ and D2C brands witnessed a spike of upto 2.5X YoY, led by brands like Bewakoof, Juneberry, Lacoste, Pant Project, Snitch
• Amazon India saw more than a 60% spike in premium appliances like robotic vacuum cleaners, water purifiers, decorative fans, 1000W mixer grinders and luxury hobs. Customers have also loved luxury home offerings across clocks, carpets, paintings, sofa covers which have shown a 100% increase YoY
• In first 48 hours of the AGIF ‘24, customers had a choice of more than 700 Electric 2-Wheelers & Petrol Bikes/Scooters to buy from with most demand seen towards Chetak 2903, and the OLA S1 Pro
• Kitchen essentials have seen a growing demand with kitchen storage growing more than 60% YoY while Mixer Grinders, Pressure cookers are up by 30%
• Amazon emerged as the preferred destination for furniture and mattress shopping with the Category achieving 1.4X YoY growth
• This festive season, customers have shown inclination to upgrade premium appliances like air fryers (+35% YoY), Smart fans (+30% YoY), Garment Steamers (+30% YoY) etc. Customers are also adding new home security products like Smart door locks (+60% YoY), home security systems (+100% YoY) like security camera, video door bells and lockers (+40% YoY) aided by door-step installation and No Cost EMI support
• The first 48 hours of AGIF’24 saw customers avail cashbacks and bank offers on groceries on Amazon Fresh resulting in average customer savings increasing by 1.5X YoY and 2.5X vs BAU
• The biggest spike of 3X was seen in new sign-ups for Subscribe and Save program
• With health and wellness becoming a priority amongst customers, 2X increase in demand was observed for dietary and natural supplements like Moringa & Chyawanprash and Sugar alternatives
• Categories like Books, Toys, Grooming & Gaming witnessed 150%+ new customer growth within first 48 hrs of the sale. Books emerged as a top gifting choice this festive season, with popular selections like the Harry Potter and Mahabharata box-set spiking 7X and 8X respectively
• Hair styling devices witnessed more than 5X spike with most popular products being Dyson Airwrap and Ikonic

 

B2B Customers Prefer Buying With Amazon Business

Festive season is not only an occasion for consumers to shop, but also for businesses to celebrate with employees and partners. Within the first 24 hours of the ‘24Amazon Great Indian Festival going live, new customer sign-ups on Amazon Business surged 4.5X above BAU. There was an 11X increase in Paid Prime adoptions as businesses signed up to take advantage of early deals and free, fast shipping. Businesses also appreciated the quantity discounts offered by sellers and bulk orders grew 12X higher than usual. 

India Shopped for Ultra low-cost Products with Amazon Bazaar

In the first 48 hours of Amazon Great Indian Festival, Bazaar daily shoppers grew 10X as compared to pre-event daily averages. More than 50% of Bazaar shoppers shopped for the very first time (or after 12+ months of their previous purchase). Amazon Bazaar received 11X units/day as compared to pre-event averages, thus enabling sellers of ultra-low-priced selection to grow their businesses (~50% growth in daily unit volumes for sellers)

 

Convenience Delivered

Customers availed attractive exchange discounts on various products including smartphones, TVs and Appliances and opted for free installation services across 400+ cities. Every customer who purchased Appliances on Amazon, got a free extended warranty on their purchase. This season, Amazon has built 8000-strong workforce of authorized experts to offer in-home installation, setup and product diagnosis support.

At Amazon Fashion and Beauty, customers used features like ‘Wear it with’ suggestions, to access the best of fashion and the latest trending styles. On the Beauty front, tools like Virtual Try-On (VTO) and SkinCare Advisor (SKCA) empowered customers to make an informed purchase decision. VTO allowed users to experiment with color cosmetics such as lipstick, eyeshadow, and hair color, while SKCA offers personalized skincare recommendations tailored to individual skin concerns and preferences.

 

Preparation for India’s Biggest Shopping Festival

Amazon India also recently announced the launch of three new fulfillment centres (FCs) in Delhi NCR, Guwahati, and Patna to bolster its pan-India logistics network ahead of the festive season. Amazon also declared that it has created more than 100,000 seasonal job opportunities ahead of the festive season across its operations network in the country. The new seasonal positions will help elevate its delivery experience and boost the company’s fulfilment and delivery capabilities to meet the surge in customer demand this festive season.

paritoshs@avianwe.com