Winning by a Mile Platforms line up goodies with customers keen to try out new brands and products

Bengaluru | Mumbai: As Christmas celebrations become mainstream in India, direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands have seen an uptick in sales on quick commerce as platforms launch deals, remove additional fees on orders, expand gifting and decor stock keeping units (SKUs) and redesign the app for the holiday season.

Quick commerce platforms are also bolstering their temporary workforces by 40-60 per cent this festive season to cope with a surge in demand.
To push sales, companies like Zepto and Blinkit ran a Secret Santa feature on their apps to leverage the occasion for last-minute purchases. In just two days of launch, Zepto noted over 100,000 Secret Santa groups created. Under this, customers could create groups within their own circle or collaborate with strangers.
Similarly, personal care brand Pilgrim clocked a 5-6X YoY growth on quick commerce this year, according to Anurag Kedia, the company’s cofounder. Fashion brand Campus Sutra saw a 20% YoY increase in sales during the days leading up to Christmas.
For grooming brand Bombay Shaving Company, the shift has been significant. “We have seen nearly 100% YoY growth on quick commerce during Christmas,” said Deepak Gupta, cofounder and chief operating officer of the company.
The demand is not just limited to established D2C brands for season-specific SKUs. Customers are keen to experiment with their purchases through new brands and products, multiple founders noted.

Fragrance brand Bla Bli Blu, launched in July this year, has seen strong traction on quick commerce, with sales up 60% to ₹4.6 crore compared to business-as-usual (BAU) due to Christmas gifting.
Christmas and New Year’s Eve have been known to be the busiest days for quick commerce and food delivery platforms. December 31 is typically the busiest day of the year for these platforms. Last year, these platforms reported record orders on New Year’s Eve as consumers increasingly opted for the convenience of home delivery for party provisions.
This year, the Christmas period has also seen a strong traction.
“This Christmas season has been strong for Instamart with sales tracking close to double of last year’s,” an Instamart spokesperson said. “Alongside consistent demand for festive favourites such as dairy, Christmas cookies and cakes, we’re also seeing consumers increasingly turn to us for electronics, mobiles, home products and toys.”
Online bakery Bakingo saw a 2X YoY growth during the Christmas period on quick commerce platforms as demand for plum cakes, baked treats and desserts jumped during this time.
“During the Christmas period, we have seen 30-40% year-on-year (YoY) growth on quick commerce platforms, ahead of overall category growth,” said Avi Kumar, chief marketing officer at Ferns N Petals. “Demand peaks in the final 24 to 48 hours before Christmas, reinforcing quick commerce as a high-intent, last-minute gifting channel driven by speed and availability.”