New Delhi, Oct 21: The 2025 Diwali festive season wrapped up on a sparkling note for India's e-commerce sector with 24 per cent year-on-year growth in order volumes and a 23 per cent surge in gross merchandise value (GMV), according to Unicommerce, the e-commerce enablement SaaS platform.
Quick commerce apps emerged as the biggest growth driver, clinching a 120 per cent YoY jump in order volumes, followed by brand websites with a 33 per cent rise.
Marketplaces remained the dominant channel, accounting for 38 per cent of total purchases and growing 8 per cent year on year in order volumes.
Unicommerce said the insights are based on over 150 million transactions processed through its flagship platform, Uniware, during the 25-day festive period in 2024 and 2025.
Quick Commerce and Brand Websites Outperform
"The 2025 Diwali festive season ended on a strong note for India's e-commerce sector, which recorded a 24 per cent year-on-year (YoY) growth in order volumes and a 23 per cent rise in gross merchandise value (GMV)," as per Unicommerce release.
Top-performing categories included FMCG (driven by healthy food products like fusion sweets, dry fruit combos and millet namkeens), home decor and furniture, beauty and wellness (led by makeup and hygiene), and health and pharma (fuelled by strong demand for supplements).
Tier II and III Cities Power Growth
Tier II and III cities accounted for about 55 per cent of total orders, underlining the digital momentum and purchasing power in smaller towns.
Regionally, tier II cities led growth with a 28 per cent on year increase in orders, followed by larger ones at 24 per cent, and tier III towns at 23 per cent, reflecting widespread festive fervour across the country.
Digital Payments Gain Ground
On the payments front, prepaid orders grew 26 per cent, signalling stronger trust in digital transactions, while Cash-on-Delivery (COD) orders climbed 22 per cent in volume and 35 per cent in GMV, indicating a shift toward higher-value COD purchases and deeper consumer confidence in e-commerce platforms.
Faster Deliveries and Supply Chain Efficiency
"Further reinforcing this growth momentum, data from Unicommerce's logistics platform, Shipway, showed that orders were delivered faster this year, with average shipping times during the 2025 festive season 15 per cent shorter than last year," it said.
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This is reflective of enhanced supply chain readiness, smarter demand forecasting, and accelerated last-mile delivery, ensuring seamless and timely fulfilment even amid peak festive demand.
(Disclaimer: Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
