India’s festive shopping habits are changing rapidly as consumers turn to quick-commerce platforms for gold, silver, sweets, decorations and gifts during Diwali.
Highlights
- Zepto delivered more than 14,000 gold and silver coins during its busiest hour on Dhanteras.
- Instamart recorded a 23-fold surge in gold coin orders ahead of the festival.
- Silver coin orders on Instamart increased sevenfold.
- Zepto witnessed a 38.6-fold jump in broom sales and a 20-fold rise in steel utensil sales.
- Flipkart Minutes reported threefold growth in orders between October 30 and November 5.
- Demand for sweets, clothing, footwear and festive decorations also surged.
Story
New Delhi, November 8: India’s quick-commerce industry witnessed a sharp surge in festive demand during Dhanteras and Diwali 2026, with platforms such as Zepto, Swiggy Instamart and Flipkart Minutes reporting strong growth in orders for gold, silver, household essentials and festive products.
The growing popularity of instant delivery services highlights a major shift in consumer behaviour, as shoppers increasingly rely on quick-commerce platforms for high-value purchases alongside everyday groceries.
Zepto Delivers Over 14,000 Coins in One Hour
Zepto co-founder and CEO Aadit Palicha revealed that the platform delivered more than 14,000 gold and silver coins during its busiest hour on Dhanteras. The company also recorded sales of approximately 298 coins in a single minute.
Demand extended beyond precious metals. Zepto sold nearly 6,000 packets of rangoli colours and cotton wicks within an hour.
Compared with normal days, broom sales jumped 38.6 times, steel utensils recorded a 20-fold increase, and decorative lighting sales surged 18.2 times. Men’s kurta sales also rose 5.4 times.
Instamart Sees 23-Fold Jump in Gold Coin Orders
Swiggy Instamart also reported extraordinary demand for precious metals. Gold coin orders increased 23 times during the week preceding Dhanteras, with one-gram coins emerging as the most popular choice.
Silver coin orders grew sevenfold. Bengaluru led gold coin purchases, followed by Hyderabad and Mumbai, while Delhi recorded the highest demand for silver coins.
In one notable transaction, a customer ordered one-gram Lakshmi gold coins worth ₹1.73 lakh. Another customer in Noida purchased gold coins worth approximately ₹5 lakh through nine separate orders.
Sweets, Clothing and Decorations Witness Strong Demand
Festive shopping also boosted other categories on Instamart. Sweet orders increased 55%, with laddoos, soan papdi, kaju katli and gulab jamun among popular choices.
Footwear orders rose 79%, clothing sales increased 50%, and flower orders grew 42%.
Meanwhile, Flipkart Minutes reported a threefold increase in overall orders between October 30 and November 5. Diya sales jumped 12 times, home decoration products recorded fivefold growth, and gold coins and bars more than doubled in sales.
Quick Commerce Redefines Festive Shopping
The sharp rise in festive purchases indicates that quick-commerce platforms are expanding beyond groceries into jewellery, gifting, fashion and home decoration.
With consumers increasingly prioritising convenience and faster deliveries, instant-commerce platforms are becoming an important part of India’s festive retail market.
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