Phones, ACs, fridges in demand as festive shoppers plan big-ticket upgrades on Flipkart's TBBD

Festive sales have long been the time Indian households plan their big-ticket purchases, and the opening hours of Flipkart's Big Billion Days (TBBD) show shoppers doing exactly that, with mobiles, large appliances and electronics seeing strong demand ahead of Diwali.

Large appliances grew 30 per cent year-on-year in the first hour of the sale, led by air conditioners, refrigerators and washing machines. Tablets grew 73 per cent, pointing to an appetite for personal tech upgrades.

In mobiles, premium and flagship smartphones saw strong traction. One in four customers opted for product exchange and one in three chose No Cost EMI, offers that bring down the upfront cost of an upgrade. Entry-level 5G models, held at last year's prices, also drew strong purchases on value.

For shoppers who plan such purchases around the festive season, the sale window is typically when exchange values, EMI options and bank offers come together, making it a natural time to replace an older phone, an ageing refrigerator or an AC ahead of next summer.

Speed is part of the pitch for electronics. Orders on Flipkart Minutes, the company's quick commerce service, rose 3.5 times over regular days in the opening hour, with new customers on the service growing 11 times. During Early Access, an iPhone 17 reached a customer in New Delhi in 3.4 minutes.

Laptops and external hard drives were also among the popular purchases on Minutes, which is currently used for mobiles and electronics rather than large appliances.

Across the platform, nearly one in two first-hour visits came from Tier 3 towns and beyond, with non-metro customers accounting for about 60 per cent of demand.

Shoppers looking to upgrade can check the exchange value of their old phone on the Flipkart app, compare No Cost EMI options at checkout and browse sale offers across mobiles, electronics and large appliances.

Popular models tend to move quickly during festive sales, and customers planning a purchase before Diwali may want to order early.

The 13th edition of the sale began with Early Access on October 8 for Flipkart Plus, Black and co-brand card members.

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