Winter sales keep R-Day offers under weather; online rebates galore

Lower stocks limit offline discounts

With the Republic Day weekend coming, retailers, especially offline, have reason to cheer.

 

They expect heavy footfall and the discounts offered this year aren’t as steep as last year. Low discounts are because of strong demand for winter wear, leaving lower stocks for sale.

 

The retail sector was under stress last year due to weak demand. Demand picked up in the festival and wedding seasons. 

“Ever since the festival season, sales have picked up and the trajectory has been better. This trend will continue towards the Republic Day weekend as well. We will not offer higher discounts and keep them at 40-50 per cent. But we do expect higher footfalls,” Devarajan Iyer, chief executive officer (CEO), Lifestyle, said.

 

Pepe Jeans India will offer up to a 50 per cent discount, unlike last year’s Republic Day weekend, when it had offered up to 60 per cent because demand was subdued.

 

“Growth is coming back for retail and a harsher winter, especially in the north, pushed up demand. But we are witnessing growth not just in the north but from other parts of the country as well,” said Manish Kapoor, CEO at Pepe Jeans India. The denim brand expects growth during the weekend to be 10-12 per cent over last year’s Republic Day sales. 

However, Celio India will offer higher discounts and close its end-of-season sale in the first week of February as demand has dipped in the past 10 days. 

“While a strong winter helped us see strong sales in December, it dipped a bit in the past few days and we will offer our stocks on the Republic Day weekend at ‘Buy Two get 50 per cent off’, which was earlier ‘Buy One at 30 per cent off’ and ‘Buy Three items at 50 per cent’,” said Satyen Momaya, CEO. 

E-commerce companies have offers both for its B2B (business-to-business) clients and retail customers. Some deals are as steep as 76 per cent. 

Flipkart Wholesale, a leading B2B omnichannel platform under e-commerce platform Flipkart group, said on Thursday it was hosting “Republic Day Sale” from January 20 to January 26. 

Its exclusive deals include discounts of up to 76 per cent on select products. New members can get an additional Rs 150 off on their first e-commerce order. 

“Packed with a wide range of offers and deals, this sale will give members the perfect opportunity to save and increase their profits while serving consumers from across the country,” said Dinkar Ayilavarapu, vice-president and group head of strategy and transformation, Flipkart Wholesale. 

Anshoo Sharma, CEO and co-founder of hyperlocal e-commerce firm magicpin, said: “This year, we’re doubling down on convenience for our customers, starting with the launch of 15-minute food delivery from our partners — magicNOW. Not from a dark store, but freshly prepared, straight from the kitchens of our restaurant partners. We’re bringing exclusive deals from over 2,000 popular food brands and more than 10,000 local restaurants. Customers can enjoy dishes from their favourite places like Chaayos, WowMomos!, Faasos, Wendy’s.” 

Flipkart’s “Republic Day Monumental Sale” started on January 14, but Plus members were able to get access to the sale a day before, on January 13. Apple’s newest iPhone 16 series models were available at a discounted price on Flipkart. Customers got additional discounts of up to Rs 2,000 on select HDFC Bank cards and UPI transactions while purchasing an iPhone 16 model. The sale offers were valid until January 19. 

Amazon’s “Great Republic Day sale 2025” began on January 13 at noon for non-Prime members, while Prime users were able to get some deals 12 hours before. It ended on January 19. The event gave discounts on mobile phones and related accessories from brands like Apple, iQOO, OnePlus, Samsung and Xiaomi. 

For businesses and companies, Amazon Business offered up to 70 per cent discounts. 

Swiggy Instamart, the quick commerce arm of Swiggy, has kicked off its “Mega Republic Day Sale”, which will go on till January 26. As part of the sale, the quick commerce platform is providing up to 80 per cent off on certain products. 

“Apart from offering good discounts, we are focusing more on acquiring new customers through sale events and improving our retention cohorts for the existing customers on our website,” said Shagun Dwivedi, vice-president, Revenue, Deconstruct, a D2C skincare brand. 

Snapdeal’s “The Big Toofani Sale”, timed to coincide with January ‘25 festivities, including the Republic Day shopping, was a success. 

“Our sales volumes during the January festival season were 70 per cent higher than those seen in the comparable period last year. Fashion as a category was strong performer, with sports footwear, women’s ethnic wear, and kids’ wear driving a substantial portion of sales,” said a Snapdeal spokesperson.