Quick commerce records 75% growth, while Tier-3 cities account for 41% of festive order volumes
India’s Diwali shopping season witnessed a 21% year-on-year (YoY) growth in e-commerce order volumes, with affordable purchases, quick commerce and smaller cities emerging as key drivers, according to Unicommerce’s festive 2026 report.
The analysis of over 138 million order items processed through Uniware, Unicommerce’s flagship e-commerce management platform, compared the festive shopping period from October 6 to November 4, 2026, with the corresponding period last year.
Orders valued below ₹1,000 accounted for 85% of total transactions, with fashion accessories, organic foods, personal care and everyday lifestyle products contributing significantly to this segment. Prepaid transactions also represented 61% of festive orders, indicating growing consumer confidence in digital payments.
Among shopping channels, quick commerce recorded the highest growth, with order volumes increasing 75% and Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) rising 38%. D2C brand websites registered 30% growth in order volumes and 26% growth in GMV. Marketplaces continued to lead in overall order volumes, recording 8% growth.
Smaller cities remained important contributors to festive shopping. Tier-3 markets accounted for 41% of total orders, growing 26% year-on-year, while Tier-2 cities contributed 24% with 23% growth. Tier-1 cities accounted for 34% of volumes, registering 13% growth.
