Flipkart and Amazon will start their festive season sales on October 8

Walmart-backed ecommerce platform Flipkart will kick off its flagship sale, Big Billion Days, on October 8. Amazon, which had initially announced October 10 as the starting date for its Great Indian Festival, has now changed it to October 8, matching Flipkart. Amazon Prime customers will get early access to the sale, as in the past.

For Flipkart, Big Billion Days is an important event, as it accounts for a significant chunk of the company’s annual sales, just as it does for its rivals and other companies in general.

Online commerce saw volume growth of 24% in the second quarter on a year-on-year basis, ET reported on July 11. The growth was led by high-value premium products, while softness continued in mass-market segments, especially fashion.

On September 15, ET reported that Flipkart, ahead of its flagship Big Billion Days sale, has been organising a series of seller gatherings in various major cities, including Delhi, Surat, Jaipur, Agra, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Kolkata. Amazon India also held its Smbhav seller meet last month ahead of its Great Indian Festival.

Ecommerce sales are expected to grow 18-20% to around $11 billion during the upcoming festive season, Redseer had said earlier in a report. According to the report, at least 140 million shoppers will be transacting online during this season. The contribution from higher-margin categories such as Beauty and Personal Care, Home and General Merchandise, as well as Fashion, is expected to increase, the report said.

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