Holi sales surge as qcom and e-commerce platforms see sharp demand rise

Quick commerce and e-commerce players saw strong Holi purchases, with spikes in colours, water guns, gujiya and thandai, as platforms expanded festival-led assortments and offers

Quick commerce (qcom) and e-commerce platforms witnessed a sharp spike in festival purchases this Holi, as consumers spent more on premium play accessories while also opting for eco-frie­ndly products as well as ritual essentials.

 

Swiggy Instamart said demand across Holi-related categories saw a significant jump.

 

“Holi celebrations this year are clearly getting bigger and more planned. On Instamart, we’ve seen sharp week-on-week spikes across categories, with premium water guns surging nearly 36 times, and water balloons over 44 times, showing that consumers are going all-in to celebrate the occasion,” a company spokesperson said, adding that demand for Holi colours grew nearly 33 times, while festival staples like gujiya and thandai also saw a rise in sales.

 

Amazon, too, reported strong festival momentum across qcom and e-commerce verticals. On qcom sales, it said, “Through Amazon Now, we are delivering thousands of last-minute Holi essentials to customers across parts of Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Bangalore within minutes. From water balloons and gulaal to water guns and pichkaris along with festive favourites like gujiya, customers are relying on fast and convenient deliveries along with special offers this Holi.”

 

On the ecommerce side, the platform said the demand for gulaal grew 1.2 times, water balloons rose 1.4 times, water pistols grew 1.3 times, photo booth props were up 1.5 times, ice creams and chocolates saw a 1.3 times uptick and colourful wigs saw a 1.2 times rise. It added that the sale of cow dung cakes for Holika Dahan increased 1.5 times year-on-year.

 

Betting big on festival-driven demand, almost all players had launched Holi-specific categories featuring kurtas, colours, snacks, and personal care products, combining targeted assortments with promotional discounts to boost order volumes.

 

During the same festival last year, qcom firm Flipkart Minutes witnessed an 80 per cent surge in demand for Holi essentials, with colour purchases spiking 25 times on the day of the festival. Similarly, Zepto experienced a rise in sales, recording a 4.4-fold year-on-year increase in gujiya sales, a six-fold rise in water balloon sales, and an 8.4-fold growth in thandai sales.