Retailers, online firms may score big over Independence Day weekend

Raksha Bandhan cheer rolls into the holiday break, with fashion and consumer durables eyeing a near double-digit sales lift

Retailers and malls expect shoppers to keep coming out this long weekend, riding on the upbeat mood from Raksha Bandhan. Fashion retailers are projecting high single-digit growth over the Independence Day (I-Day) weekend. In consumer durables, store traffic is already rising as bargain hunters pack outlets.

 

Fashion and apparel chain Lifestyle expects the Raksha Bandhan momentum to spill over into the coming days, though the company says sales have been strong since April.

 

“We expect like-for-like sales to grow in high single digits during the upcoming weekend,” Devarajan Iyer, chief executive officer (CEO) of Lifestyle, told Business Standard. He added that the share of discounted stock is lower this season — under 15 per cent, with markdowns in the 20–25 per cent range. Typically, the brand offers up to 50 per cent off during I-Day sales.

   

Lifestyle will limit its sale to Friday and Saturday, as higher regular-price sales allow it to push fresh stock at full price.

 

Iyer said the brand has been more selective in ordering and managing inventory, keeping markdowns smaller both in volume and depth compared to past I-Day promotions. Last year, fashion and apparel retail suffered from weak consumer sentiment. The industry, however, has seen a steady revival since April.

 

Bespoke menswear label Mohanlal Sons is also targeting a 10 per cent sales increase over last year’s I-Day weekend. “We had extremely weak sales last year. This year, we expect sales to be much better, with up to 50 per cent off on clearance stock and 25 per cent off on fresh arrivals,” said Mayank Mohanlal, partner and CEO of India’s oldest retailer.

 

Ambience Mall is also expecting heavier footfall this weekend, with the retail mood stronger than last year. “Many brands are offering discounts of up to 50 per cent, some even more. We saw strong crowds last month, and expect sales to rise by 15–17 per cent this weekend,” said Arjun Gehlot, the mall’s director.

 

In consumer durables, Vijay Sales is already seeing I-Day weekend rushes fill stores. “We expect no change this year. Our existing stores run at full capacity over the weekend, and new outlets are adding incremental sales,” said Nilesh Gupta, managing director of the electronics retailer.

 

E-commerce (ecom) and quick commerce (qcom) platforms are using the occasion to spotlight local artisans and homegrown brands on their platforms, along with various discounts and festival offers.

 

Ecom platform Flipkart has announced the tenth edition of its flagship sale event, Crafted by Bharat, which will be held on August 15. The biannual sale event showcases artisanal products created by weavers, artisans, and entrepreneurs from across the country. The company said this year’s edition will feature over 140,000 unique handcrafted products from more than 2,200 artisans, including traditional art forms such as warli, patachitra, madhubani, pichwai, terracotta, and various regional wooden crafts and paintings.

 

“The dedicated event will also feature collections from state-run handicraft bodies, self-help groups, non-government organisations, and regional businesses from across India,” it added.

 

Another ecom platform, Amazon, which concluded its Great Freedom Festival sale, also put the focus on a variety of products from local artisans, emerging startups, and women-led businesses, the company said. The one-week sale ran from July 31 to August 7. On the platform, customers could avail themselves of a 10 per cent instant discount using an SBI Bank credit card. In addition, Prime members could use their Amazon Pay ICICI credit card to get 5 per cent cashback and rewards worth ₹2,500.

 

Likewise, ecom platform Snapdeal recently concluded its Swagtantra sale, which ran from August 6–11. The platform referred to the sale as a festival for sellers, as they witnessed a jump in sales.

 

“Surat emerged as the biggest seller hub with a 176 per cent increase in active sellers, followed by New Delhi. Noida, Jaipur, Ludhiana, Kanpur, Jodhpur, and Rajkot also saw thriving seller communities. Long-time partners who joined in 2017 or earlier contributed 20 per cent of total sales, while sellers who came on board in 2024 and 2025 contributed 32 per cent — both groups showing robust growth,” the company said.

 

At the platform level, the number of units sold on Snapdeal jumped more than 100 per cent over last year’s sale during the same festival period.

 

Not only ecom platforms but also qcom companies blended patriotism with consumerism in unique ways. Swiggy Instamart has curated a section called India Made on its application. The section consists of a list of homegrown brands, including Bajaj, Drools, Aqualogica, and Let’s Try.

 

BigBasket, another qcom platform, has launched a specially curated section for I-Day, featuring patriotic items such as the Indian tricolour and other themed products.

 

Similarly, Blinkit is offering festival discounts across a wide range of categories, including national emblems, flags, paper kites, tricolour garlands, Indian flag pin badges, and even ethnic wear like kurtas.

 

Zepto, too, has a separate section for August 15 specials and a list of Make in India items and products.

 

Announcing a limited-time festive offer for its Gold subscribers (premium members), food delivery platform Zomato on Thursday said that from August 14–17, members can get free delivery on orders above ₹99. Usually, the threshold for getting free deliveries is ₹199. “As part of the I-Day week celebrations, as an added bonus, new users can join Zomato Gold for just ₹1 during this time,” the company said.