September 23, 2025

This Navratri, the shopping scene started slow but sparks are flying! FMCG companies report a jump in primary sales as distributors and retailers fill their shelves after weeks of low stock. Mayank Shah, Vice-President of Parle Products, said, “The primary sales this week will be 25-30 per cent higher than the weekly average.” This is a big cheer for brands stocking up for the festival rush. The GST rate cut has made shoppers pause and think. Many consumers across big cities like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Delhi didn’t rush out immediately. The reasons? Rain poured down in Mumbai and Hyderabad, and shoppers are weighing different offers and discounts across stores and online portals. Nilesh Gupta, Director of Vijay Sales, said, “We have begun witnessing some rise in footfalls on Monday. Over the next ten days, we expect to make up for the dip in sales seen in the past 15 days as demand momentum builds up.” Retailers are keeping fingers crossed as enquiries rise, though actual purchases are catching up slowly. Blue Star’s Managing Director B Thiagarajan is optimistic too, saying dealers expect a double-digit jump soon. Shibashish Roy, CEO & MD of Croma, shared that the consumer electronics industry is “poised for a strong festive season, with the return of significant pent-up demand.” In footwear, Anupam Bansal, Managing Director of Liberty Shoes, expects the GST cut to push shoppers from unorganized to organized brands during the festival period. When it comes to the battle between offline and online, e-commerce is winning hands down! Myntra’s Head of Revenue, Bharath Kumar, said, “Myntra Big Fashion Festival has kicked off from September 20th on a strong note this year, with heightened demand.” They even passed GST benefits to customers two days early! Amazon India also joined the festive race with a dedicated GST savings storefront. Saurabh Srivastava, Vice President of Amazon India said, “Early data from the Amazon Great Indian Festival that opened exclusively for Prime members shows multi-fold growth across categories.” The full festival opens on September 23, and momentum is expected to soar. Local market stories add spice: Mumbai’s heavy rains kept shoppers home; a Shivraj Supermarket rep said, “We’re hopeful that with Navratri and Diwali coming up, demand at our stores will pick up.” Meanwhile, in Hyderabad, some customers were annoyed as GST rate cuts weren't clearly updated in stores. In Chennai, BK Shankar of Viveks shared, “We have not observed any major increase in footfalls across stores” but hopes shoppers will come as the week progresses. Kolkata’s Style Baazar offered nearly 7% discounts on apparel below Rs 2500, with many customers unaware of price cuts – staff were spread the good news. Even in Bengaluru, the mood was 'business as usual,' with customers waiting to compare Amazon’s Great Indian Festival and Flipkart’s Big Billion Days before buying. Overall, the festive season sales are warming up slowly but surely. Will the coming days bring a shopping storm? Retailers and brands believe it’s only a matter of time before the floodgates open and wallets start flying!

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Tags: Fmcg sales, Gst rate cut, Festival shopping, E-commerce, Consumer electronics, Retail footfall,