Quick e-commerce: Local Shops on Amazon deliver Holi needs

As Holi festivities draw near, urban buyers in metro and Tier II cities are seeking deals and last-minute needs on online platforms.

Akin to quick-commerce players like Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart delivering festive goods through a dedicated window, e-commerce platform Amazon will also deliver Gulal, Pichkaris, and Sweets on Holi on the same day.

With the trend of quick-commerce taking convenience and commerce to the next level, e-commerce players Amazon and Flipkart are eyeing a portion of the profits pie.

In 2023, India’s quick commerce market registered a year on year growth at 77 per cent to reach $2.8 billion in gross merchandise value, a Redseer report reflects. 

In comparison, e-commerce has been growing at 14-15 per cent year-on-year. 

While Flipkart recently announced its foray into quick-commerce, Amazon has also partnered with local stores for same-day delivery on Holi.

Commerce and Colour

As part of its Local Shops on Amazon program, the platform will carry out same-day delivery for over 3,500 Holi-themed products to ensure a vibrant celebration delivered right to their doorstep.

Customers in Delhi can shop from 39,000 stores in renowned areas like Chandani Chowk, Uttam Nagar and Laxmi Nagar.

Last year, it partnered with 30 sellers for the initiative, which has gone up to 200, Amazon  said.

Abhishek Jain, Head, Local Shops at Amazon India said, “We are excited to see the rapid scale up of the Local Shops on Amazon program across the country. In about two years, the program has onboarded over 39,000 local offline stores from Delhi. These businesses have registered as sellers on Amazon.in and are benefiting from selling on the online marketplace.”

The impact created by the program in the state highlights how digital enablement can help lakhs of offline retailers, micro entrepreneurs, and other small businesses to get online and contribute to a digital economy, he added.

The company focuses on bringing more offline retailers online, accelerating their business by providing them access to a larger customer base, and providing them impetus to create strong brands with the Local Shops initiative.

Holi, the festival of colours, is celebrated in the spring season in India around March each year. 

Signifying faith and triumph of good over evil, the celebrations entail the burning of Holika, the evil aunt of Prahlad who was a devotee of Lord Vishnu.

The next day is celebrated with colours (gulal), waterguns and water balloons as well as staple sweets like Gujiya.

Local Leverage

Deepak Shukla, a the second-generation store owner in Delhi’s Sadar Bazar who sells pooja essentials and festive selections such as rakhis, diyas, and other décor, shared the Local Stores initiative has boosted sales by 20-30 per cent.

"We anticipate a threefold increase during Holi, as our sales typically surge during peak seasons,” he shared, adding that they have hired over 2500 female employees to fulfill these orders via manufacturing, packaging, and looking after the operations during the peak period.

The convenience of same-day delivery, introduced by Zomato-backed Blinkit, Swiggy’s Instamart and unicorn Zepto has also opened commerce opportunities for local businesses and these platforms alike.

A customer took to X to share their order for a Gujiya mould placed on Blinkit, after the one his mother owned broke. 

Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart have a dedicated Holi store on its app, with Gulal, waterguns and t-shirts, ingredients for making the staple delicacy Gujiya and worship needs, apart from skincare needs specific to Holi festivities like oils and sunscreen.