Festive online sales reached ₹1,40,800 crore in 34 sale days to 9 November, short of the September Outlook. Buyers widened; baskets shrank.
A study by
Sources: Datum festive model; RBI daily payments data.
What the Report Covers
Platform figures, RBI payments data and Datum’s daily model, updated to 9 November, the day after Diwali.
Datum’s 2026 Festive Outlook, published in September, expected ₹1,50,000 to 1,55,000 crore. The season delivered ₹1,40,800 crore, ₹9,200 to 14,200 crore short and the slowest growth since 2023. Growth came from reach and frequency; the big-ticket basket shrank.
A late Diwali, on 8 November, moved the whole season 19 days later. Sales opened from 7 October and ran 33 days to Diwali, against 30 in 2025, so the daily rate is the fairer comparison.
Phones fell from 35 per cent of sales to about a quarter. Prices rose 16 to 19 per cent and units fell a quarter to a third. Everything else grew about 35 per cent.
₹ crore, each year on its own festive window. The pale band is the Outlook range.
Sources: Datum festive model; Datum 2026 Festive Outlook. 2014 was a single day.
More buyers, more of them outside the big metros. The next round of growth depends on adding shoppers and orders.
Sources: Amazon and Flipkart company releases.
Key Findings
Four findings from the report. The platform-by-platform data, the payments series and the category mix sit in the PDF.
Flipkart grew orders, units and buyers 20 to 22 per cent over Big Billion Days. Amazon doubled units in its first 12 hours and drew 72 per cent of visits from beyond the top nine metros.
Over the 32 sale days card transactions rose 7 per cent and value fell 6. 2025 opened on the GST rate cut, which lifted big tickets; 2026 had no such boost, and pricier phones sold fewer units.
Early access and week 1 took 34 per cent of sales. On cards, weeks 2 and 3 trailed 2025 by 16 to 20 per cent; week 4 and the last four days ran 12 and 13 per cent ahead. 2026 passed 2025’s whole season on day 27.
Phone sales value fell about 15 per cent, taking mobiles to about a quarter of sales, from 35 per cent in 2025. The Outlook had expected 29.8 per cent. Lifestyle held at 15 to 16 per cent.
Plans built on the opening day and big tickets will under-deliver. The money is in smaller towns and in the weeks before Diwali.
Key Highlight
Sales by stage of the season, counted from member early access on 7 October to 9 November, quick commerce included.
₹ crore; share of the season to 9 November.
Sources: RBI daily payments data; Datum festive model.
Sales reached ₹1,37,500 crore by Diwali and ₹1,40,800 crore with Monday 9 November. 2026 passed 2025’s whole season on day 27.
Weeks 2 and 3 were the low point, at ₹25,700 and ₹24,100 crore. The run-up to Dhanteras did the catching up: the last 11 days brought in more card value than week 1.
Before the sales, card payments at e-commerce ran 26 per cent above 2025 on ordinary days. The sale now adds a smaller premium to a bigger everyday market.
The run-up to Dhanteras needs a budget of its own.
How We Do It
Platform statements, RBI payments data and Datum’s festive model, read against the September Outlook.
The platforms’ own published figures: Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Meesho, Zepto, Instamart and Flipkart Minutes, plus Unicommerce, GoKwik and ClickPost on brand and seller channels.
RBI’s daily series for credit, debit and prepaid cards at e-commerce, and all UPI payments over Dhanteras to Diwali, compared day by day with 2025.
A daily model of festive online sales built on the card series, with quick commerce added, run from 7 October to 9 November.
Every headline figure is set against Datum’s 2026 Festive Outlook, published in September, including the category mix and the shape of the season.
The festive window runs from the opening of Big Billion Days and the Great Indian Festival to Diwali. In 2026 that was 9 October to 8 November. This tracker counts from 7 October, early access included, to 9 November, against 21 September to Diwali in 2025.
GMV is gross merchandise value, before returns and cancellations. Quick commerce is delivery inside one hour from a dark store, and already sits inside the online retail total.
Source: Datum Festive Barometer 2026, definitions.
Read the full Barometer methodology →Book a session with the Datum team and we will take you through the season, the payments data and the category mix behind this report, read against your own category. Bring your questions and we will answer them against the data.
Talk to us →What to Do About It
Drawn from the implications in the report.
The last 11 days brought in more card value than week 1 and ran 12 to 13 per cent ahead of 2025. The run-up to Dhanteras needs a budget of its own.
Prices rose 16 to 19 per cent, units fell a quarter to a third, and phones dropped from 35 to about 25 per cent of sales. One in four Flipkart mobile buyers traded in an old phone.
Diwali on 8 November gave 2026 three more days. The daily rate, ₹4,140 crore, was close to 2025’s ₹4,000; matching the Outlook over the same 34 days needed ₹4,410 to 4,560.
About 16 per cent of the season, up from 12, on orders of ₹520 to ₹660. Amazon Now’s daily orders rose 18 times on last year.
Report Scope
Tell us where to send research updates and the download starts right away.
Thanks. The PDF should begin downloading now. If it does not, use the direct link below.
Download the PDF directlyBy downloading, you agree to receive occasional research updates from Datum Intelligence.