Online Shopping Events

Flipkart, the eCommerce platform backed by Walmart, reported a significant 1.4 billion customer visits during the early access phase and throughout the seven days of its premier shopping event, "The Big Billion Days (TBBD)". This year marked the event's 10th edition, which officially commenced on October 8.

A special early access was granted to VIP and Plus customers on October 7. The sale highlighted a growing trend of premiumization, with a focus on products such as smartphones, laptops, tablets, and home appliances.

The Big Billion Days 2023: Demand Rises for Premium Smartphones

Top choices among customers encompassed televisions, audio devices, smartphones, and grooming products. This wide accessibility was enhanced by numerous affordability options offered in collaboration with third-party partners and banks. Remarkably, smartphones priced above 20,000 Indian Rupees (about US$240) experienced increased demand across both metropolitan areas and tier 2+ regions.

The term "tier 2+ regions" is used to refer to cities and regions in India that are not the major metropolitan areas (often called "tier 1 cities"). Tier 2+ would include smaller cities and towns, which are categorized as tier 2, tier 3, and so on.

Alongside, sectors like lifestyle, electronics, and general merchandise played a crucial role in drawing new clientele. Products in grooming, makeup, and fragrance segments also saw heightened demand.

Samarth Program Sees Sixfold Growth

One of the notable aspects of TBBD 2023 was the surge in women delivery personnel, termed "wishmasters", and Flipkart's collaboration with local Kirana (a term used in India to describe a small neighborhood retail store) partners, ensuring over 4 million packages were delivered within the first four days.

The sale witnessed a twofold increase in sellers achieving the "crorepati" (an Indian term that translates to "millionaire" in English) status compared to the 2022 edition.

Additionally, Flipkart's Samarth programme showcased the "Indian Roots Store Front", offering diverse products from artisans and weavers, registering a sixfold growth relative to the pre-festive period.

Payment Details of The Big Billion Days 2023

Affordability emerged as a crucial factor, making products more accessible during TBBD'23. The Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card saw an 8-fold growth in overall spends and a 4-fold increase in orders, while the "Flipkart Pay Later" option and EMI spends grew by 4 times and 7 times, respectively, compared to the period leading up to the festive season.

Membership in Flipkart Plus also saw a 60% growth compared to the previous year's TBBD. The use of Flipkart SuperCoins expanded beyond purchases, with many customers opting for the on-app donation drive. The recently launched SuperCoin rewards program on Shopsy reported a 1.5-fold growth in customers using SuperCoins.

Innovative Features and User Engagement

Innovative on-app experiences such as Flippi, Vibes, SPOYL, and Flipverse enhanced the shopping journey. Particularly, Flippi, powered by ChatGPT, witnessed nearly a fourfold rise in engagement. Flipverse, a 3D-rendered immersive virtual world, experienced a tenfold increase in visits.

Flipkart's Video Commerce feature achieved its peak viewership, with a watch time of 800,000 hours by over 50 million users, indicating a 16-fold increase in transactions. FireDrops 2.0, a web3 engagement and rewards platform, attracted over 2 million users, offering NFT-based shopping rewards from various brands.

Flipkart's Big Billion Days Shopping Event: Key Takeaways

Premium Product Demand: Rising interest in premium products like smartphones priced above INR 20,000, extending beyond metropolitan to tier 2+ regions.

Seller Success & Local Partnerships: Twofold increase in 'crorepati' sellers, efficient delivery via local partnerships, and increased involvement of women delivery personnel.

Innovations & Financial Accessibility: Enhanced on-app features and financial schemes like "Flipkart Pay Later" option increased engagement, making products more accessible.

Sources: Inc42, Business Today India, CNBC TV18