Festive season shopping could touch Rs 1.5 lakh crore online this year
Small-town shoppers, quick commerce and UPI are expected to drive another record season.
Online festive sales in India could reach Rs 1.50 to 1.55 lakh crore in 2026, a rise of 25% to 29%, according to forecasts by Datum Intelligence. The firm expects about 15.8 crore online shoppers and close to 97 crore orders.
Smaller cities continue to power growth. Retailers say around 70% of visits and orders now come from tier-2 and tier-3 towns. Quick commerce is grabbing a bigger slice too, rising from 8% of online festive sales in 2024 to 12% in 2025, with nearly 16% expected this year.
Mobile phones are forecast to make up almost 30% of online festive sales by value. UPI, which hit a record of about 74 crore transactions on Diwali eve last year, set another monthly volume record in August 2026.
Source: Zoutons
