Amazon, Flipkart begin festive season war as India looks at Rs 90K cr worth sales

New Delhi, Oct 8: E-commerce giants Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra and others on Sunday began the festive season sales in India which is expected to reach Rs 90,000 crore worth online gross merchandise value (GMV) in the festive month -- up 18-20 per cent from last year’s festive month sales.

Driven by about 140 million shoppers, online sellers, especially small ones, expect at least a 15 per cent jump in festive sales year-on-year, with the median growth figure of 26 per cent sales increase expected, according to market intelligence firm Redseer Strategy Consultants.

Amazon India has created more than 100,000 seasonal job opportunities across its operations network for the festive season.

The opportunities include direct and indirect jobs in cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow and Chennai, among others. Myntra's Big Fashion Festival, is now live with more than 23 lakh fashion, beauty and lifestyle products from over 6,000 leading international, domestic and D2C brands.

During the event, customers will have access to unmissable offers on thousands of domestic and international brands, as well as an additional 15 per cent off on using Myntra's co-branded credit card in association with Kotak Mahindra Bank, to unlock more value on their festive purchases. Additionally, the shoppers can avail payment offers through partners like ICICI, Kotak, Paytm and Cred.

Snapdeal has also launched the first sale of the festive season called the ‘Toofani Sale-Festive Dhamaka’, from October 8-15. Consumer electronics brand Samsung has rolled out mega deals on a wide range of its televisions for the much-awaited festive season.

The offers are on Neo QLED TV, OLED TV, Crystal 4K iSmart TV, Crystal Vision 4K TV, QLED 4K TV, The Frame TV and more. “At Samsung, we are committed to enhance this festive cheer for our customers through exciting offers on our televisions. We are confident that our unique offers will add more joy to this festive season,” said Mohandeep Singh, Senior Vice President, Visual Display Business, Samsung India.

On purchase of select Neo QLED 8K & 4K TVs, consumers can get a free Galaxy S23 Ultra 5G worth Rs 124,999, a 50-inch The Serif TV worth Rs 69,990, The Freestyle projector worth Rs 59,990 or a Soundbar worth Rs 49,990, along with a 3-year comprehensive warranty on the Neo QLED TVs.

In exclusive partnership with top online retailer Flipkart, Blaupunkt, a German electronics brand, has announced hefty discounts on the whole range of TVs during the Flipkart's ‘Big Billion Days’. Blaupunkt will offer customers incredible savings of up to 80 per cent on Smart TVs and appliances. The all-new TVs will start at an attractive price of Rs 6,299. The newly-launched 43-inch QLED is available at Rs 28,999.

“Flipkart’s The Big Billion Days accompanying the festive season is a great opportunity for us to provide our customers with Blaupunkt’s exceptional TVs to experience premium affordability,” said Avneet Singh Marwah, CEO of Super Plastronics Pvt Ltd (SPPL), exclusive brand licensee of Blaupunkt TVs in India.

According to Jagjeet Harode, Vice President - Electronics, Appliances and Private Brands at Flipkart, the customers across India can elevate their viewing experience by upgrading their TVs. “This collaboration with Blaupunkt's new range is a significant addition to our marketplace, bolstering our offerings as we approach the festive season,” he said in a statement.

SPPL aims to do an overall business worth Rs 500 crore this festive season. In the smartphone segment, all major players have announced exciting promotions. Around 42 per cent Indians plan to buy a premium smartphone (Rs 30,000 and above) this festive season, and 5G, latest processor and RAM are the top specifications while making the purchase, according to Counterpoint Research.

Samsung, Apple and OnePlus are the most preferred brands this festive season. HTech, a comprehensive solutions provider, has announced their first festive sale offer for the latest HONOR 90 5G in India, offering discounts up to Rs 11,000.

According to the company, HONOR 90 can now be purchased at Rs 26,999 this festive season. OnePlus has extended offers to the recently launched OnePlus 11, OnePlus 11R, including the new OnePlus 11R Solar Red, as well as OnePlus Nord 3, the new OnePlus Pad Go and many more.

Starting October 7, the offers on the entire product portfolio are now live. Amazon has announced exciting offers on Echo, Fire TV, and Kindle devices during its 'Great Indian Festival 2023. Customers can avail up to 55 per cent off on Echo smart speakers, Fire TV devices, Kindle e-reader, and Alexa smart home combos, said the company