Black Friday boost: Online sales in India jump 27%; FMCG, beauty & personal care leads growth
The surge was driven largely by healthy food products, beauty and personal care, and home categories.The findings highlight the increasing popularity of the global shopping event in India.
Once known mainly as a US retail phenomenon tied to the post-Thanksgiving shopping season, Black Friday is now evolving into a mainstream consumer event in the country.
According to data from Uniware, Unicommerce’s order and inventory management platform, the shift toward digital shopping ahead of the holiday season remained strong.
FMCG, led by healthy foods, saw the sharpest rise with an 83% year-on-year jump.
Beauty and personal care grew 77%, while the home category rose 63%, reflecting higher spending on daily essentials, self-care and household upgrades.Fashion and accessories continued to dominate overall sales, with more than 3.4 million orders placed during the period, as reported by ET.
Unicommerce said the event has expanded beyond a short promotional burst into a week-long high-engagement sale window.
Retailers launched offers earlier this year to enable better product discovery and fulfillment planning as shoppers stayed active throughout the week.Growth was also driven by rising online participation from smaller towns.
Tier-I cities accounted for 40% of order volumes, followed by Tier-II cities at 23%.
Tier-III cities contributed a significant 37%, with more than 4.3 million ordered items, which is nearly equal to metro levels.“This surge from smaller towns underscores the rapid expansion of digital adoption, improved logistics infrastructure, and the growing purchasing power of India’s emerging online consumer base,” the company said.With Cyber Monday, an online-focused shopping event that follows Black Friday, both occasions together now form a broader ‘Cyber Week’ in India, shaping promotional strategies for brands and online marketplaces.
