Festive season wraps up with 24% e-comm order volume surge
NEW DELHI: 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.
“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 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.
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.
Unicommerce data shows 2025 festive season orders delivered 15 per cent faster, reflecting improved supply chains and last-
mile efficiency.
