India’s direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands recorded strong sales growth during the 2026 festive season, with quick-commerce platforms emerging as an important channel for reaching shoppers. Beauty brand Pilgrim and healthy snacks company Open Secret both doubled their sales year-on-year during the festive period, driven by purchases through instant-delivery platforms. The growth came even as consumers became more selective about spending and focused on products offering convenience and value.
The festive performance highlights how platforms such as Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart are changing the way consumers discover and purchase products. Categories including beauty, personal care, healthy snacks, fashion, gifting and puja essentials benefited from the ability to deliver products within minutes. For D2C companies, quick commerce is increasingly becoming more than a channel for urgent grocery purchases: it is developing into a significant route for customer acquisition and sales growth.
Pilgrim and Open Secret Double Festive Sales
Beauty and personal care brand Pilgrim and healthy snacks company Open Secret emerged among the notable performers during the festive season.
Both companies recorded a doubling of year-on-year sales, supported by purchases through quick-commerce platforms.
The performance reflects the growing demand for products that consumers can order immediately during festivals, when shopping requirements often arise at short notice.
For beauty brands, quick commerce provides access to customers looking for skincare, cosmetics and personal care products without waiting for conventional e-commerce deliveries.
For snack brands, the platforms offer an opportunity to reach households preparing for celebrations, hosting guests or purchasing additional food items.
The ability to deliver products quickly can also encourage impulse purchases, particularly when consumers are already using these applications to order groceries and household essentials.
Quick Commerce Expands Beyond Grocery Deliveries
Quick-commerce platforms initially built their businesses around groceries, fresh produce and everyday essentials. Their product assortment has since expanded to include several non-grocery categories.
During the 2026 festive season, consumers increasingly used these services to purchase:
- Beauty and personal care: Skincare, cosmetics, fragrances and grooming products.
- Healthy snacks: Packaged snacks and convenient food products.
- Gifting: Gift boxes, personal care sets and festive hampers.
- Fashion and accessories: Selected apparel, footwear and accessories.
- Puja essentials: Diyas, flowers, decorations and other festival-related products.
This expansion has created new opportunities for D2C brands that previously depended heavily on their own websites and traditional e-commerce marketplaces.
Quick-commerce platforms can place products in front of consumers at the moment they need them. For example, someone preparing for a festive gathering may order additional snacks, skincare products or gifts without planning the purchase days in advance.
That convenience can help brands capture purchases that might otherwise go to neighbourhood stores or remain unfulfilled.
Quick Commerce Records Strong Festive Growth
The broader festive shopping numbers also demonstrate the increasing importance of quick commerce in India’s online retail market.
According to an analysis of more than 138 million order items processed by e-commerce enablement platform Unicommerce, overall e-commerce order volumes increased 21% year-on-year during the festive period.
Quick commerce recorded the strongest growth among the major online retail channels.
| Sales channel | Growth in order volumes | Growth in GMV |
|---|---|---|
| Quick commerce | 75% | 38% |
| D2C websites | 30% | 26% |
| Online marketplaces | 8% | 6% |
<text color=”secondary” size=”xs”>Source: Unicommerce festive-season analysis reported by Moneycontrol. GMV refers to gross merchandise value.</text>
The figures suggest that quick commerce is gaining a larger role in festive shopping, while D2C websites are also recording healthy growth.
The difference between order-volume and GMV growth is important. Quick-commerce orders grew considerably faster than their total transaction value, indicating that a large share of purchases continued to involve relatively small baskets.
However, the channel’s ability to generate frequent transactions makes it attractive for brands selling products that consumers purchase regularly or need at short notice.
Why D2C Brands Are Moving Towards Quick Commerce
For D2C companies, customer acquisition has become increasingly expensive across digital advertising and traditional online marketplaces.
Quick-commerce platforms offer a different route to reaching shoppers because customers often open these applications with an immediate purchasing requirement.
There are several reasons brands are increasing their focus on this channel.
1. Access to customers with immediate purchase intent
Consumers using quick-commerce applications are often looking to buy something they need soon. Products that match these requirements can benefit from higher purchase intent.
2. Faster product discovery
Brands can reach consumers who may not have visited their websites or searched for their products on conventional marketplaces.
3. More frequent purchases
Categories such as snacks, personal care and beauty products can generate repeat orders. Quick commerce makes it easier for customers to replenish products without planning a larger shopping trip.
4. Wider reach through established platforms
D2C companies can use the existing customer base and delivery infrastructure of platforms such as Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart instead of building their own rapid-delivery networks.
5. Opportunities for festive gifting
The platforms can help brands capture demand for last-minute gifts, personal care products, snacks and celebration-related purchases.
Together, these factors are making quick commerce an increasingly important part of D2C distribution strategies.
Smaller Cities Become an Important Growth Market
The expansion of online shopping beyond India’s largest cities is also creating opportunities for D2C companies.
Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets are becoming important sources of online demand, supported by greater smartphone adoption, digital payments and improving delivery infrastructure.
Industry estimates cited in recent festive-season reports indicate that smaller cities account for a substantial share of online orders. Quick-commerce platforms are also expanding their geographical reach, although product availability and delivery coverage vary by location.
For D2C brands, these markets offer an opportunity to reach customers without establishing a large physical retail presence in every city.
However, expansion beyond metropolitan areas also requires brands and platforms to manage local demand, inventory availability and delivery economics.
Strong Sales Do Not Automatically Mean Higher Profits
Despite the festive sales growth, quick commerce also presents financial challenges for D2C brands.
Advertising costs on these platforms have increased as more companies compete for visibility. According to Datum Intelligence’s 2026 Festive AdEx report, quick-commerce advertising rates increased by approximately 30–40% during the festive season.
The report estimated that brands would spend around ₹2,200 crore on quick-commerce advertising during the 2026 festive period, representing an increase of approximately 50% from the previous year.
For smaller brands, the higher cost of sponsored placements can reduce the financial benefits of additional sales.
Companies also need to account for platform commissions, discounts, packaging, logistics and inventory costs. A brand may record higher order volumes but still struggle to improve profitability if the cost of acquiring and fulfilling those orders rises too quickly.
This makes it important for D2C companies to measure incremental sales and repeat purchases rather than relying only on headline festive growth.
The Bigger Picture
The festive performance of Pilgrim and Open Secret reflects a broader transformation in India’s retail ecosystem. Quick commerce is moving beyond groceries and becoming a distribution channel for brands across beauty, food, fashion and gifting. For D2C companies, the platforms offer access to customers at moments when convenience and immediate availability can influence purchasing decisions.
However, the long-term opportunity will depend on whether brands can convert festive shoppers into regular customers while maintaining healthy margins. Higher advertising costs and platform commissions could make growth expensive, particularly for smaller companies. The brands that balance visibility, repeat purchases and efficient fulfilment will be better positioned to benefit from the channel’s expansion.
Looking Ahead
Quick-commerce platforms are likely to continue expanding their product categories and attracting brands seeking faster access to consumers. The next phase of competition will involve improving product discovery, increasing regional coverage and encouraging customers to purchase more than everyday essentials through instant-delivery applications. D2C brands are expected to evaluate these platforms not only as sales channels but also as tools for reaching new customers.
For companies such as Pilgrim and Open Secret, the key challenge will be sustaining the momentum beyond the festive season. Turning first-time buyers into repeat customers, managing promotional spending and maintaining product availability will determine whether the strong festive performance translates into lasting business growth.
SEO Metadata
SEO Title: Quick Commerce Drives Huge Festive Sales Growth for D2C Brands in India
Meta Description: Pilgrim and Open Secret doubled festive sales as quick commerce grew 75% in order volumes, creating new opportunities for India’s D2C brands.
URL Slug: quick-commerce-festive-sales-growth-d2c-brands-india-2026
Focus Keyphrase: Quick commerce D2C brands
Secondary Keywords: D2C festive sales 2026, quick commerce India, Pilgrim sales growth, Open Secret sales, Blinkit festive sales, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart, Indian D2C brands
Get the day’s top stories in your inbox
One concise email. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
