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<ul><li>As many as 12,602 housing units were registered in Mumbai between Navratri until Bhai Dooj.</li><li>The festive fervour has made the state exchequer richer by ₹1,257 crore.</li><li>Approximately 40% of residential units are sold during the last quarter of the year, say experts. </li></ul>India’s consumption story is a tale of two Indias. Even as consumer companies are battling a slowdown, demand for real estate has not cooled despite rising interest rates. It’s been a great festival season for Mumbai’s real estate developers, which is one of the most expensive real estate markets in the world. As many as 12,602 units were registered between Navratri until Bhai Dooj – that’s October 15-November 15, 2023. It represents a 30% growth over last year’s festival period, as per <keyword id="151748" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="knight-frank-india" source="Orion">Knight Frank India</keyword>. Thanks to as many as 407 units being registered per day, the festive fervour has made the state exchequer richer by ₹1,257 crore. “Mumbai city embraced the auspicious festive period with a remarkable surge in property registrations, reflecting a heightened commitment to high-value investments. As the festive season continues, registration volumes are expected to remain robust, fuelled by favourable market conditions, including moderately increasing property prices and stable policy interest rates,” said Shishir Baijal, Chairman &amp; Managing Director, Knight Frank India. The surge was much expected due to a combination of factors like stable interest rates and the growing love for more spaces. Most experts have been betting on the real estate sector’s prospects this year. They also hope that 2023 as a whole will surpass 2022’s home sales. Moreso, the festive season is key for most developers because a large chunk of home sales take place during the period. “Approximately 40% of residential units sold annually close during the last quarter of the year. According to industry estimates, house sales in 2023 will likely be 20–30% higher than in 2022, given the current holiday season and the fact that sales are already approaching 2022 levels,” said Manju Yagnik, VC of Nahar Group. Anshuman Magazine, Chairman &amp; CEO - India, South-East Asia, Middle East &amp; Africa, CBRE also said that he expects the festive season sales to boost the momentum already seen through 2023. Developers too have been offering schemes and incentives to lure in buyers, especially first-time buyers. “As the residential cycle matures amidst inflationary pressures, we have witnessed increasing demand in the mid-end and premium categories. Conversely, the premium and luxury segment is expected to emerge as a sought-after investment avenue, particularly for HNIs and NRIs seeking to safeguard their investments amid global macroeconomic uncertainties,” said Magazine.

Mumbai property registrations jump 30% during festive season compared to last year

<ul><li>The festive season will give a further fillip to the real estate sector that’s been on an upswing all year, say experts.</li><li>Most developers expect this year’s festive sales to be anywhere between 10-20% higher than last year.</li><li>More large-sized projects were launched by developers to gain from the festive mood. </li></ul>Indian real estate players are witnessing bumper festive season sales, with new launches, offers and more. The auspicious festive season generally sees almost a quarter of annual home sales. And, it seems to have gotten off to a good start. According to <keyword id="6363605" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="knight-frank" source="Orion">Knight Frank</keyword>, the property registrations in the first nine days of Navratri were 37% higher than the last year in Mumbai with 4,594 registrations. Experts expect all the top seven metro cities to see a strong sales growth in the season that extends through mid-October to mid-December. The consumer sentiment has already been strong this year. The first nine months of 2023, home sales touched 91% of 2022 annual sales across the top seven cities. This is the highest it has been since 2008, according to JLL. “With sales volumes holding strong so far this year, moderately increasing property price and stable policy interest rate would serve as the key catalysts for the housing market for the remainder of this year,” said Shishir Baijal, CMD of Knight Frank India. Developers already witnessing a surge Real estate developers have been looking forward to the festive season to hit top gear in sales. Ramani Sastri, CMD of Sterling Developers said that they are expecting a significant growth this year. “As we approach the festive season, we are already witnessing a surge in inquiries and we are expecting around 20% growth compared to last year’s festive season,” he added. Lincoln Bennet Rodrigues, chairman &amp; founder of The Bennet &amp; Bernard Company said that there is an over 8-10% increase in the number of properties being purchased or booked. “During this time of the year, 30-40% of our annual sales occur. Needless to say, as a developer, we are looking forward to the upcoming festive days,” he added. To gain from the sentiment, developers have stepped up on new launches too. As per Anarock Research, as many as 711 residential projects comprising approximately 1.16 lakh units were launched across the top seven cities in Q3 2023. In the same period last year, 701 projects were launched comprising 93,290 units. “While the difference between the number of projects launched in both the periods was not very significant, the number of units launched in Q3 2023 was at least 24% more than Q3 2022. Thus, the underlying trend is that this year in Q3 2023, many large-size projects were launched,” Anuj Puri, chairman of Anarock Group told Business Insider India. More launches with schemes The festive quarter is expected to see even more launches. Last year, during the festive quarter of October to December (Q4 2022) as many as 93,000 units were launched across the top seven cities. “This year, we may see at least 10-15% yearly growth which means it will again be above one lakh units,” said Puri. Most developers are also sweetening the pot with schemes, incentives and discounting to push more sales for the festivals. “These promotional offers encompass free <keyword id="666493" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="modular-kitchens" source="Orion">modular kitchens</keyword>, furniture, flexible payment plans, GST and stamp duty waivers, as well as giveaways like gold coins, cars, and even international trips,” says Swapnil Anil, executive director &amp; head of advisory at Colliers India. Banks too are upping their ante with Low EMI Schemes, Fixed EMI Schemes, and Attractive Interest Rates and more say experts. The real estate sector has been on an upswing since the pandemic and festive period has re-energised it, with people willing to buy or upgrade their homes. Unlike other sectors, where the post-pandemic boom effects are fading away, the property market is only going from strength to strength. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/mamaearth-this-fmcg-scion-is-all-set-to-gain-a-windfall-from-honasa-ipo/articleshow/104721052.cms">This FMCG scion is all set to gain a windfall from Honasa Consumer IPO</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/genzs-millennials-wants-to-be-back-to-offices-even-as-costs-pinch/articleshow/104700780.cms">GenZs, millennials want to be back to offices even as costs pinch</a>

With large project launches and offers, realty players get set for a bumper festive season

<ul><li><keyword id="412367" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="consumer-sentiment" source="Orion">Consumer sentiment</keyword> has improved and Indians are eager to celebrate this <keyword id="36208" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="festive-season" source="Orion">festive season</keyword>, says a survey.</li><li>Consumers are keen to splurge on luxury goods, beauty and personal care products, consumer durables and more.</li><li>With a surge in inquiries, real estate players expect 20% growth in sales this season.</li><li>Online retailers are also expected to see 18-20% in gross merchandise value. </li></ul>Indians are gearing up for the festival season that kicks off with Ganesh Chathurthi this week. As the auspicious months arrive, the real estate sector is upbeat with new launches and more, but the shadow of the monsoons lingers over automobile dealers and jewellers. This season, Indians are not shying away from high-profile purchases this festive season as the real estate sector has reported healthy inquiries – thanks to the high consumer sentiment due to heightened economic activity. “As we approach the festive season, we are already witnessing a surge in inquiries and we are expecting around 20% growth compared to last year’s festive season. This naturally offers a context for consumers to go in for their dream homes as the overall climate is geared towards sustained demand,” said Ramani Sastri, chairman &amp; MD of Sterling Developers. The demand for new homes has been growing and has hit an all-time high, and realtors expect a windfall this season, aided by growth in new launches especially in the mid and luxury categories. Rising homeownership amongst millennials, aided by the higher disposable income and willingness to upgrade to larger, luxurious spaces equipped with better amenities. “Developers are optimistic about the desire for homeownership and anticipate that with attractive schemes and offers, the uptake for homes across cities will be healthy. Further, the unchanged repo rates and the appraisal cycle that coincides with the festive season, will provide a much-needed boost to the residential sales figures in the coming months,” said Kanika Gupta Shori, founder and COO, Square Yards. Consumer goods are also expected to see traction this season, thanks to the underlying need to improve living standards combined with the surge in the need for comfort in households. “People are upgrading to a more premium lifestyle and our products, with their distinct combination of technology, ultra-modern look and cutting-edge features, will continue to find traction. The focus on launching new products, coupled with good deals and enhanced distribution, especially in the tier-2 and tier-3 cities, should help brands during the festive season ahead,” said Parag Kulkarni, senior VP-international and president, A O Smith India, who are known for their water heaters and purifiers. Better than last year The festive mood is also high for other purchases like clothes, luxury goods and more. A survey by global technology company The Trade Desk says that 70% of Indians are ready to spend more this Diwali – that’s a 35% higher than last year. The year of 2022 was one of the first festival seasons which was not masked by fear of Covid-19 in the last few years. This year, sales are expected to be better. “With the broader economy coming back to business-as-usual levels, this festive season is likely to catalyze online consumption demand,” said a report by Redseer. With regards to online shopping, the growth in gross merchandise value (GMV) of sales is expected to be 18-20% higher than what it was in the 2022 festival season – which saw a 10% growth. “The planned increase in consumer spend is led primarily by consumers’ bullish view that their financial situation has improved according to 53%, and consumers’ eagerness to celebrate a lot more this year as per 49%,” The Trade Desk says. A significant majority ie. 84% expressed interest in buying luxury goods and apparel, with 80% on gold, as per Trade Desk survey. Amongst those who plan to spend more, 68% are more likely to spend more on new clothes, the rest on food items, gifts for family and more. Within e-tailing, beauty and personal care products, home and general merchandise, fashion are expected to see high demand – with persistent premiumization. Auto and gold sales rely on rural demand for growth uptick After an upbeat August sales when sales of passenger vehicles and three-wheelers hit an all-time high, the outlook for auto sales too is upbeat. “Based on the performance of last month (August) , we are even more optimistic for demand to pick-up during the festive season, enabled by positive economic outlook and the revival of monsoon after a deficit in August,” said Vinod Aggarwal, the president of industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). Two-wheeler sales, however, remained dull due to subdued rural demand on account of insufficient rainfall that could temper sales growth going ahead, as per experts. Consumer demand in this segment has remained ‘ambivalent’ according to yet another industry body Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA). The monsoons have been in a deficit for most of the season, while a pick-up is expected in September. Without that pick-up, combined with low reservoir levels can have both direct and indirect effect on consumption both in rural and urban areas. Low sowing across two cropping seasons can have a devastating effect on inflation — driving down consumer sentiment across auto and other sectors. “After a prolonged period of stagnation, rural demand is showing signs of a positive resurgence. However, this recovery remains tenuous, contingent on the performance of the final phase of the monsoon season. Such developments would be particularly inopportune as they would coincide with the peak of India's festive season, notably Navratri and Deepawali, traditionally periods of heightened consumer activity,” said FADA. Jewellery sales too could be clouded by inflation, say experts, even as the yellow metal’s prices have been inching down on account of various macro economic factors. “With the start of the festive and wedding season, domestic gold demand is expected to gain impetus. However, higher inflation and weaker rural income on account of a less than ideal monsoon could potentially weigh on demand,” says Ghazal Jain, fund manager, alternative investments at Quantum Mutual Fund. Others, however, feel that consumers would be keen on addition to their physical old portfolio driven by the lower prices. Their prices have come down from a high of ₹61,750 per 10 gm in May to ₹59,000 per 10 gm currently — a healthy 20-25% drop from the recent surge. “Festive seasons have consistently witnessed a surge in physical gold demand, particularly in the realm of ornamental jewellery, as consumers seek the latest and trendiest designs. After a period of subdued festivities, the recent years have seen a resurgence in celebrations, rekindling the enthusiasm for gold,” said Jateen Trivedi, VP-research at LKP Securities. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/over-43-of-indian-employees-are-struggling-with-anxious-depressed-or-isolated/articleshow/103661485.cms">More than half of Indian employees are logging off from work exhausted</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/soap-opera-fmcg-players-kick-off-price-war-to-bring-back-whats-lost/articleshow/103657469.cms">Soap Opera: FMCG players kick off price war to bring back what’s lost</a>

India switches on its shopping mode as festivals approach, sales set to jump 20%

<ul><li>Around 140 million shoppers are expected to be transacting online at least once this festive month, says Redseer.</li><li>Sales are expected to come from high-margin businesses like beauty &amp; personal care, home &amp; general merchandise, along with fashion.</li><li>D2C brands are expected to grow 1.6 times faster than the broader market. </li></ul>Indian <keyword id="811198" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="e-tailing" source="Orion">e-tailing</keyword> or e-retailing has a lot to celebrate this season — if Redseer <keyword id="9903214" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="strategy-consultants" source="Orion">Strategy Consultants</keyword> are to be believed, 2023’s festive season sales will rake in approximately ₹90,000 crore in gross merchandise value (GMV). That’s 18-20% more than what was sold last year. “This growth will be driven by about 140 million shoppers who are expected to be transacting online at least once during this festive month,” said the report. India’s festive season kicks off next with Vinayaka Chaturthi celebrations that last nine days, followed by Navratris and extends all the way to November with Diwali. Persistent premiumisation The sales this year are also expected to come from high-margin businesses like beauty &amp; personal care (BPC), home &amp; general merchandise and fashion etc. There will be persistent premiumisation leading to rising average selling prices. Increasing ads and promotion revenues will possibly make this year’s festive season the most efficient from a margin perspective, the report added. “Over the last several quarters, we are seeing enhanced GMV contributions from categories beyond electronics. While electronics sell a lot in the festive period, looking at the bigger picture and comparing the festive sale periods over the last several years, there is a clear trend of category diversification,” said Mrigank Gutgutia, partner at Redseer Strategy Consultants. The willingness of consumers to purchase ‘multiple categories’ online also bodes well for the sector. D2C to zoom ahead The expected boom in sales is also expected to bring in moolah for D2C brands in addition to traditional retailers. The consultancy firm expects these brands to grow 1.6 times faster than the broader eTailing market. Metros have been growing faster at 10% for the last few quarters; and Tier 1 and Tier 2+ towns are growing at around 8%. But this festive season, the growth might be robust for both, it expects. On an overall basis, the consumption trends are also improving, claims the consultancy firm. The annual growth rate of Private Final Consumption Expenditure (PFCE) has bounced back to 9% – which was around what it was before the pandemic. Over the last few years, there has been flux in the market due to Covid-19 pandemic and other shocks like the Russia-Ukraine conflict. But these trends are also reversing. “Interest rates are maxing out, countries aiming to resolve the Russia Ukraine conflict, and the Indian economic growth numbers are coming in strong. So, there are meaningful tailwinds to support a relatively strong festive period this year,” the report added. Moreso, the total annual GMV for 2023 is expected to be around ₹5,25,000 crore, as the number of transacting users have jumped 15 times over the number in 2014.

Festive boost: Online sales may see a 20% jump as Ganapati kicks off celebrations

<ul><li>While Durga Puja/Navratri is here, this year, the festivites are subdued.</li><li>Brands are therefore excercising caution in where and how much they spend in the next few days.</li><li>However, things are gradually improving and there are signs of recovery, experts tell us.</li></ul><keyword id="6357908" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="durga-puja">Durga Puja</keyword> or <keyword id="48284" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="navratri">Navratri</keyword> is one of the biggest festivals in India and every year the festival is marked by marketers pouring in big monies during the nine days of festivity. Actually the festival is so big in states like West Bengal that streets of cities like Kolkata usually become one big advertising canvas. However, things are different this year. With coronavirus still going nowhere, people are cautious. While every year, the streets become adorned by ads and hoardings from brands from all kinds of industries, because this is the best way to grab people’s attentions, this year, even during the festival, advertisers have been cautious. For the ad and marketing industry which saw a huge dip in investments during the first few months of the lockdown, a lot of hope had been resting on the festive season. However, this year there will hardly be a celebration. Just yesterday, the Calcutta High Court also directed all Durga puja pandals in the state to be turned into 'no-entry zones'. Many pandals in the city are barring physical entry of devotees and making the entire experience virtual. Even in other cities, people are planning to give the festivities a skip. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address to the nation advised people to exercise caution while going out during the festival. So what does this mean for advertisers? Will they get a bang out of their buck if they advertiser this year? Explaining how things are going to be different this year, <keyword id="3364704" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sujata-Dwibedy">Sujata Dwibedy</keyword>, Group Trading Director, Amplifi India, dentsu international said, “Durga Puja in the east and Navratri in the west, are two of the grandest of all festivals, The festival marks the start of the auspicious period. Dussehra is followed by Kali Puja/Diwali/Laxmi Puja and Bhai Dooj. People shop a lot. The purchase of household durables, cars, bikes, home renovations, capital expenditures in businesses are seen in this period. A lot of business-led decisions are also made around this time. However, this year would be different as people would not step out like before, but they would be hooked on to the media to get a glimpse of the Goddess. So, the media/channel who can give them the best experience would score over the others.” Every year, categories like FMCG, apparel, auto, e-commerce and consumer durables become the biggest spenders during the festive season. But have these brands come ahead and advertised this year? <keyword id="8330648" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sidharth-Parashar">Sidharth Parashar</keyword>, President – Investments and Pricing, GroupM India said, “With demand picking up in Aug-Sep, key categories like Ecommerce, FMCG, Telecom, Durables, Auto and certain segments within BFSI are expected see increased ad spends this festive season. FMCG saw recovery in Jul-Sep quarter, driven by essentials like health-hygiene products and immunity boosting food products. Brands in these categories coupled with discretionary like skin &amp; personal care products are likely to see an uptick in consumer spending and therefore in ad spending too. Consumer durables and Retail are expected to benefit from the govt.’s LTC cash voucher and festival advance schemes, which would lead to increased spending from government employees on products like apparels, laptops, smart phones, consumer durables, home appliances, fitness, jewellery, beauty &amp; personal care during this festive. For Ecommerce sector, RedSeer estimates this festive to surpass a GMV of U$D 7Bn. driven by a surge in shoppers from Tier-II towns, considerable discounts available and financing options being easily accessible to consumers. Large players like Amazon and Flipkart are scaling up their supply chain vendors, fulfillment centres and higher manpower for delivery, in order to meet surge in demand and are spending heavily on TV, digital &amp; Print.” While people might give pandal-hopping a skip this year, they have also started spending money. At this point, people are on the lookout for a change, for something positive and this has led to a visible shift in consumer sentiments in the past few months, Dwivedy added, “We are seeing that market sentiments have improved over the past few months. A surge in online purchases has been witnessed through the various platforms. Indian consumers have started embracing the new normal, and consumption of products is back. There are multiple new categories of products, new convenience food products, health, hygiene-related – all have been accepted and are being tried out. In the last few days, the malls have also opened with new offerings from the shops. Many are offering home delivery, video selections and are even ready to send people home with multiple samples for trials. Home delivery of groceries, foods and other products is preferred. Implying that the emotions have revived, the consumption has begun, however, the mode of consumption is new.” This positive sentiment has led to a month-on-month increase in spends since July across categories. “TV has been almost at the same levels as the previous year. Print, on the other hand, is kind of catching up but it will still take some more time in top metros. Nevertheless, Tier II towns are tracking better. Radio has also picked up. OOH and Cinema that have been worst hit this year should see some relief in this quarter,” she explained. While Television has steadily been seeing an increase in ad spends over the past few months, mediums like Radio and OOH that had suffered a lot during the lockdown are hoping to see some recovery. These are both mediums that see a lot of spends during the festive season in normal years. So how are things this year? Abraham Thomas, CEO, Reliance Broadcast Network Limited said, “The festive season is considered the 5th quarter in India, an auspicious time, for businesses across industries, that contributes 40-45% of sales. Marketers certainly leverage this opportunity with ad volumes showcasing a significant surge. Clearly the most trusted and credible media, this lockdown has helped radio being reimagined amongst the audiences with the overall listenership of medium growing by 30%. The surge in listenership across different TG’s have driven ad volumes across Males, Females, the young and older targeted brands. We have witnessed a rise of 24% in Ad Volumes in week 33 with consistent growth in Ad volume from Aug’20 where average Ad volume surged by 4.8 times as compared to April. With the staggered unlocking of the economy, Radio with its ‘mass local reach’, trusted influencers and digital amplification have witnessed a sharp recovery with certain categories booming more than the others.” However, things aren’t all that great in the outdoor medium and Noomi Mehta, Chairman &amp; MD, Selvel One paints a not-so-rosy picture. He said, “Right now we are at 50% in terms of business when compared to a normal year, and if you compare puja-to-puja, we would be at less than 40% this year. It is true that people are venturing out now and there is an opportunity for brands but they are very cautious.” Every year, especially during Navratri/Durga Puja, brands from segments like FMCG, consumer durables etc go all out and make a lot of noise. “But this year, only those forced to advertise are advertising. For instance, auto brands that are launching new offerings are advertising and currently they are out top advertisers. Every year, we see financial institutes, paint companies, e-commerce platforms and apparel brands also invest in festive but that hasn’t happened this year,” he shared. Despite the fact that brands are cautious in spending, data points towards many cities almost coming to a state of normalcy. Shared <keyword id="2406965" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Atul-Shrivastava">Atul Shrivastava</keyword>, CEO, <keyword id="2911687" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Laqshya-Media-Group">Laqshya Media Group</keyword>, “As far as traffic on the roads is concerned, per data generated through SHARP, Laqshya’s traffic metrics platform, traffic in Kolkata is currently 89-92% of normal times and it is increasing every day. Long traffic jams are also back. So, we see that situation is coming back to normal, aided by the festive season.” However, Shrivastava had something positive to share. He pointed towards signs of recovery, even in terms of ad spends. “Even in the current situation, we are seeing brands in the jewellery, textiles, retail, garments, footwear and the automobile sectors spending their pent-up OOH budgets. FMCG brands are also advertising in OOH media, especially for sanitizing products. OTT platforms and entertainment channels are also investing in OOH media to promote new shows and programs. Hence, even if we do not see 100% spend by clients as compared to last year, current spends are around 60-65%.” On what the rest of the year will look like, Arnab Samanta, Head of Marketing, Graphixstory said, “With the nation gradually ‘unlocking’ itself and with IPL happening around the festive season, the markets are much positive of a revival in the second half of the year. Brands will be spending 1.5 times digitally more than the usual plan of action. The advertising spend will be increased, thoughtful engaging ad campaigns and tech innovations like augmented reality will be introduced to create massive engagement with the target audience. The higher ad spends for various brands will be distributed on a different mix of categories and channels compared to last year, depending on consumer trends and shopping pattern. Digital businesses will now make the way for a sharper trajectory.” While things have still not picked up as much as the ad industry had hoped, the number of new coronavirus infections dropped below 50,000 for the first time in nearly three months in India yesterday. So here’s hoping that things will keep getting better gradually and we will have a better and safer Diwali, one that also brings relief to the industry.

Durga Puja and Navratri is finally here, but are advertisers excited?

<ul><li>Overall online retail gross merchandise value to grow by 30% to reach $68 billion in 2022, predicts a report by <keyword id="14932981" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="red-seer-strategy-consultants" source="Orion">Red Seer Strategy Consultants</keyword>. </li><li>Urban Indians in north and central India are more excited about shopping around Diwali than those in <keyword id="6364822" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="south" source="Orion">South</keyword> and East India, says a <keyword id="15508" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="yougov" source="Orion">YouGov</keyword> survey. </li><li>Shoppers from Tier 2+ cities expected to drive festive sales higher. </li></ul> India’s upcoming festive season is expected to see buoyant sales as consumers give in to the post-pandemic impulse buying and return to the online markets with a vengeance. An uptick in disposable incomes will also bolster the overall mood to spend, experts believe. A report from Bangalore-based Red Seer Strategy Consultants estimates online sales in the festive month starting 24 September to touch $11.8 billion, a 28% jump from the pre-pandemic levels of 2018. In fact, in the first week of the festive season itself, sales are projected to reach $5.9 billion. E-commerce companies have lined up their big online sales starting October, including <keyword id="18635" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="amazon" source="Orion">Amazon</keyword> Great Indian Festival sale and <keyword id="3113730" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="flipkart-big-billion-days" source="Orion">Flipkart Big Billion Days</keyword>, to take advantage of the festival shopping. “Compared to pre-pandemic sales in 2018, the report is projecting a 3x growth in online festive sales GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) this year,” said Red Seer Consultants. The massive growth in festive sales will further push the overall online retail GMV, which stood at $52 billion in 2021, to grow by 30% to reach $68 billion in 2022, according to the report. After the festive season sales, the end-of-season sales that usually happen in July or December make for the next best occasion to shop, followed by New Year and traditional New Years ( such as Pongal, <keyword id="42861" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="gudi-padwa" source="Orion">Gudi Padwa</keyword>), Christmas and Eid/ Ramadan. This time around the festive sales are expected to be boosted by post-pandemic revenge shopping and impulse buys. “More than a third (35%) agreed with the statement – I am looking forward to Diwali this year since the rest of the year has been quite dull because of Covid-19,” according to the YouGov Festival Survey <a href="https://business.yougov.com/content/43451-yougovs-diwali-spending-index-shows-highest-ever-s">Report</a> 2022. Over 27% of respondents of YouGov gave “an increase in gross household income from the past year” as another reason for shopping. Spirits high in rural &amp; Tier2+ cities Interestingly, rural India is more pumped up about the approaching festivities but there will be a drop in average spending online, Red Seer Consultants said. About 48% shop more during the festive season, compared to the rest of the year. A majority of these shoppers are from rural India, reveals <keyword id="14932980" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="axis-my-india-sep" source="Orion">Axis My India Sep</keyword> CSI Survey 2022. There is an increase in shoppers from Tier 2+ cities (from 42% in 2018 to 60% in 2021) who tend to shop from lower average selling price categories like fashion, home and beauty personal care, reported Red Seer. “We are forecasting 4x growth in the number of online shoppers from 2018. This growth has been driven by accelerated digital adoption and increasing penetration in Tier 2+ cities. We expect this expanded customer base to reflect in higher sales during the festive sales period as well,” said Sanjay Kothari, associate partner, <keyword id="13724596" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="redseer-strategy-consultants" source="Orion">Redseer Strategy Consultants</keyword>. Urban Indians in North more excited about festival shopping Urban Indians in north and central India are more excited about shopping around Diwali, followed by residents in West India. Enthusiasm for the festival in South and East India is comparatively lower, reveals YouGov. Navratri/Durga Pooja is the most anticipated shopping event in East and North-east India as compared to other regions. “This is majorly due to increasing awareness of the festive sales among the shoppers, growing reach, targeted selection, and expansion of products within the affordability range for shoppers across city types,” added Kothari. The launch of new e-commerce models such as live/video commerce is further expected to drive the growth of online shoppers during festivities, estimates Red Seer Consultants. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sustainability/news/this-amazon-grant-winning-startup-is-saving-the-environment-one-tote-bag-at-a-time/articleshow/94071570.cms">This Amazon grant winning startup is saving the environment, one tote bag at a time</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/indigo-shares-fall-over-4-as-co-founder-rakesh-gangwal-offloads-2000-cr-worth-stake/articleshow/94065345.cms">IndiGo shares fall over 4% as co-founder Rakesh Gangwal offloads ₹2,000 cr worth stake</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/flipkart-onboards-american-apparel-company-bebe-ahead-of-festive-season/articleshow/94023466.cms">Flipkart onboards American apparel company Bebe ahead of festive season</a>

Online festival sales likely to be 28% higher than pre-Covid levels at $11.8 billion: report

<ul><li>Amazon’s Great Indian Festival is the longest this year as the brand hasn't set an end date yet and the sale is likely to go on for a month. </li><li>This year’s sale has already broken some of the records set last year. </li><li>Manish Tiwary, Vice President, Amazon India shares with us some of the trends that the e-commerce giant has seen so far, how the platform is working towards improving overall consumer experience, marketing strategy and much more. </li></ul>Consumer sentiment seems to have picked up during Navratri after seeing a muted affair during Raksha Bandhan and Ganesh Chaturthi. E-commerce firms Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, and Snapdeal together sold goods worth $3.1 billion in the first 4.5 days of the first festival season sale, revealed management consultancy Redseer. This growth trajectory of e-commerce platforms in India testifies how customers are increasingly recognising the importance of comfort shopping within closed doors, and after seeing their businesses take a plunge in the first three months of the lockdown, more and more sellers are coming online with the increasing adoption of e-commerce platforms. Similarly, Amazon India has also been seeing a year of firsts in its ongoing Great Indian Festival and is breaking last year’s records already. So far, the platform has recorded the highest number of first time shoppers, saw a 50% increase in new sellers and witnessed the strongest-ever start for SMBs. 91% of its first-time shoppers were from smaller cities who browsed the app in local Indian languages like Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. Total iPhones sold on Amazon in one day were more than the total iPhones sold in the entire festive sale period of last year. The sale has also helped Amazon accelerate growth across its portfolio. Over 1 lakh customers bought Amazon devices, Echo and Fire TV devices. Kindle sales were around 2.5X higher than the first day of the sale last year. Manish Tiwary, Vice President, Amazon India calls this year’s Great Indian Festival ‘Bharat’s biggest celebration on Amazon ever’ as Tier II and III towns take the forefront. He further told us some of the trends that the e-commerce giant has seen so far, how the platform is working towards improving overall consumer experience, challenges of breaking the clutter in the e-commerce landscape, marketing strategy, and most demanded products on the platform. Excerpts: Q. The role of engagement and communication has never been more important, especially in today’s digital-first world. How are you making sure your communication during this year's Great Indian Festival is relevant to consumers? These are unprecedented times and COVID-19 has impacted the sense of normalcy for everyone. This Great Indian Festival, our focus remains on providing reliability to customers, ensuring safety of employees and helping sellers as they get back on their feet. These include more than 6,50,000 sellers &amp; SMBs including artisans, women entrepreneurs, emerging Indian brands and local store owners from programs like Karigar, Saheli, Launchpad and Local Shops. At the same time, we want to help customers find everything they need – from the latest mobile phone to groceries and get them delivered safely to their homes. Our campaign with the ‘Khushiyon Ka Darwaza’ symbolizes the joy Amazon’s Great Indian Festival brings in the lives of this entire ecosystem of customers, sellers, delivery associates, brand partners and more. Q. What are some of the exclusive deals you have on the platform to woo consumers? This festive season, lakhs of Small &amp; Medium Businesses (SMBs) are offering unique selection to customers helping them rebuild and accelerate their business in tough times. Over 4 crore products from Small &amp; Medium Businesses (SMBs); products from over 20,000 local shops across 100 cities will be available during the Great Indian Festival. Customers across the country will have the opportunity to shop for unique products from thousands of Amazon sellers under various programs such as Local Shops, Amazon Launchpad, Amazon Saheli, and Amazon Karigar and enjoy deals/offers extended by lakhs of small businesses. This year witnessed the strongest ever start for SMBs with record sales; over 5,000 sellers clock sales worth INR 1MM (10 lakh) in SMB pre-festive lead up &amp; first 48 hours of the Great Indian Festival. With over 1.1 Lakh sellers receiving orders, we are humbled how sellers, brands and ecosystem partners nationwide have come together during these unprecedented times to spread joy across the country. Q. What are some of the other trends you are expecting to see this festive? At this moment in time, our focus is to ensure our customers get all that they need safely and that we are able to strongly help our small business partners with their business revival to manage through these challenging times. Customers recognize that ecommerce is the safest way for them to get what they need, and sellers know that e-commerce is the best way for them to serve their customers as their footfalls have been impacted. We are seeing a 50% increase in new seller registrations vs pre COVID19. The sellers on Amazon.in have been receiving orders for consumer electronics, study from home essentials, kitchen &amp; home appliances, smart devices, laptops, mobile phones, phone accessories, personal grooming products, apparel and more besides groceries and other essential products. Q. With the on-going festive season, many other platforms will have their Sales days too. How do you then cut the clutter and make sure you win consumers? How will you be different from the other players in the segment? As a customer-obsessed company, we remain focused on ways to serve the customers in the country everywhere and fulfil all their needs. Our focus remains on what is best for our sellers &amp; customers. This Great Indian Festival is all about them. Q. How are you working towards improving the overall consumer experience? Tier II &amp; III towns see a significant number of customers shop on Amazon.in, with many being first time customers. To address customer needs and enable millions of customers from India to discover the joy, convenience and benefits of online shopping, ahead of the festive season, they can shop in one of the six languages of their choice including English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. In fact, the largest number of new customers shopped for the first time on Amazon.in; 91% of new customers came from smaller cities as customers experienced the Great Indian Festival in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. Q. Do you anticipate people to buy more, considering a lot of people might have pushed buying things for the festive season? With over 1.1 Lakh sellers receiving orders, 66% sellers, 91% of new customers, and 66% of new Prime sign-ups from small towns; shopping in 5 Indian languages; and orders from over 98.4% of India’s pin-codes in just 48 hours, this Great Indian Festival is truly Bharat’s biggest celebration on Amazon ever. During the first 48 hours, top sold categories were Smartphones, Large Appliances and Consumer Electronics with leading brands OnePlus, Samsung, Apple and Xiaomi making record sales. New products received a rousing response; popular new products were OnePlus 8T, Samsung M31 Prime Edition, OnePlus Nord (Gray Ash), Xbox Series S, Maggi 2 minute Desi Cheesy Masala, Samsung 6.5 kg fully automatic washing machine, new collection from BIBA &amp; Max among over 1,100 new launches Customers shopped for everything big and small <ul><li>Smartphones remained popular among customers: iPhone 11, Redmi Note Series, Redmi 9A, OnePlus 8T, OnePlus Nord and Samsung M31 Prime Edition were among the popular smartphones on Amazon.in; Total iPhones sold on Amazon.in in one day were more than the total iPhones sold in entire festive sale period of last year</li><li>Popular appliances were fully automatic top &amp; front load washing machines, direct cool refrigerators, air conditioners, microwave ovens and dishwashers</li><li>Top-selling electronics were laptops, headphones, tablets, cameras and smartwatches. Customers also loved selection across security cameras and drones. Asus, Lenovo &amp; HP were leading laptop brands; Samsung &amp; Apple leading tablets, and TP Link &amp; Netgear were leading in networking products</li><li>TVs with Alexa OnePlus 43”, OnePlus 32” and Samsung 32” popular this season</li><li>Smart bulbs and bedsheets in Home, water purifiers and mixer grinders in Kitchen</li><li>Women’s kurtis, sarees, casual tops, t-shirts and athleisure popular in Apparel</li><li>Suitcases, luggage sets and gold jewellery popular this season</li><li>More customers are looking at gaming as a hobby – gaming consoles popular during GIF </li><li>In health &amp; hygiene categories, Savlon disinfectant Sprays, Whisper sanitary pads, Chyawanprash, Dettol &amp; Dove bathing soaps see a spike</li><li>Within grocery, products with dry fruits, spreads &amp; cooking supplies were popular</li><li>Vaseline &amp; Ponds Body lotions, Dove &amp; Wow shampoos, Lakme Kajal were popular beauty products</li><li>For pet parents, Pedigree Adult Dog Food and Whiskas dry cat food were among the popular products </li><li>Baby products such as diapers &amp; skincare products like Himalaya baby lotion &amp; Pampers anti rash diapers were widely sought after </li><li>The Nerf rival blasters - a new launch in India was among the most sought after newly launched toys</li><li>Treadmills in fitness essentials, grills, fertilizer and soil in Garden &amp; Outdoors, Car care in Tools &amp; Equipment also popular in the country</li></ul>Amazon Devices <ul><li>Customers loved Alexa – Prime Early Access during the Great Indian Festival was the single biggest day of sale for Echo devices on Amazon.in</li><li>Customers loved the new Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Stick Lite; streaming media player category sold nearly 2x units vs. the first day of GIF last year</li><li>Over 1 lakh customers bought Amazon devices, Echo and Fire TV devices</li><li>The Echo Dot (3rd Gen) and the All New Fire TV Stick were among the top 10 products sold on Amazon.in </li><li>Kindle sales were more than 2.5X vs. first day of the sale last year</li></ul>

Amazon's ongoing Great Indian Festival has already broken last year's records

New Delhi, Mar 25 () The nationwide lockdown for next 21 days amid spread of coronavirus will severely impact residential real estate as housing sales have almost come to a standstill, which could affect builders' cash flow and lead to default in repayment of bank loans, according to property developers and consultants. Market experts also fear that existing customers might delay payments of their instalments to developers, who in turn could default in repayment of principal and interest on bank loans. Developers may hold on to apartment rates, but prices in the secondary or resale market could fall, they said. To mitigate the impact, developers and brokers are adopting digital marketing tools to reach out to prospective home buyers. When contacted, realtors' apex body CREDAI President Satish Magar said the lockdown will greatly impact the sales transactions and new launches will be deferred. "There are chances of many customers defaulting on their instalments because of tough economic conditions. These will have a cascading effect on developers-who will be battling with servicing their debts as cash inflows will be strained," he added. NAREDCO President Niranjan Hiranandani said overall sales numbers have dropped. The lockdown has opened up opportunities for digital platforms for sales and marketing activities, as also payments, he said. Bengaluru-based Puravankara MD Ashish R. Puravankara said: "At this point, no property registrations are taking place and all new project launches are postponed". As all construction sites are under lockdown, there will be a delay in completion leading to an increase in the interest cost, he added. "Additionally the lockdown could hamper the cash flow cycle of the developers' balance sheets and could result in bank defaults", said Ashish. Anarock Chairman Anuj Puri said the lockdown will have a negative impact on housing sales and new launches during the auspicious festivals of Gudi Padwa, Akshaya Tritiya, Navratri and Ugadi. "This is a time when AV technology to enable virtual site visits and walk-throughs will gain increased relevance and use," he said. Anshuman Magazine, Chairman &amp; CEO (India, South East Asia, Middle East &amp; Africa), CBRE said: "It is too early to comment on the impact of Covid 19 given that the situation is still evolving ... We are confident that once the situation normalises, sales will resume". Dhruv Agarwala, Group CEO, Housing.com and PropTiger.com, said the lockdown will have an adverse impact on real estate. "We too have begun to see a dip in traffic on all our platforms," he said, adding that the company has come out with innovative schemes for builders and brokers to advertise on its websites. Siva Krishnan, MD (Residential Services and Developer Solutions), JLL India said the lockdown will definitely have an impact on housing sales, but briefly. Shalin Raina, MD- Residential Services, Cushman and Wakefield, said the complete lockdown means lesser sales since most of the transaction closures happen only after site visits. Housing prices have corrected by 15-20 per cent in the last few years and further decline is unlikely, Raina said. Savills India CEO Anurag Mathur said: "Housing sales may see a sharp dip for at least the next one quarter... Even if the situation settles down quickly, it may take time for homebuyers to come back to the market." "Price elasticity is not a concern under the circumstances since the transaction activity is at a standstill anyway. Depending upon the duration and depth of the current crisis, prices may or may not see a downward movement," he said. Omaxe CEO Mohit Goel said the recovery in the housing segment has been halted. "As for real estate prices, there will be no change as transactions are not taking place. The prices will resume at the level it has halted," he said. Gaurs' MD Manoj Gaur said, "The sales are impacted, but it is temporary." Supertech Chairman R K Arora said, "housing sales have completely gone". There are no buyers in the market. Pune-based Gera Developments MD Rohit Gera said, "Real estate sales are at a standstill. So far there has not been any reduction or crash in prices of homes." "In the absence of some relief from the government, more real estate developers with debt obligations will default on account of the stop in cash flows thereby impacting the economy and jobs," he added. M3M Director Pankaj Bansal said housing sales would get impacted during this period of crisis, but it would also create a pent up demand once things get back to normal. Experion Developers Senior ED Ananta Singh Raghuvanshi said, "Sales closures are temporarily getting pushed ahead. Prices won't change." Raheja Developers ED Nayan Raheja said the sales and construction are badly impacted and at standstill. ABA Corp Director Amit Modi said the sales velocity has definitely been slow. Gulshan Homz Director Deepak Kapoor said, "People are deferring property buying decisions." PropEquity MD Samir Jasuja said: "For the real estate sector, this is a tough situation as it was just finding green shoots of recovery. We believe for the next few weeks, we will not see any new transactions for housing sales". Ambience President (Sales &amp; Marketing) Ankush Kaul said: "Housing sales will be impacted for the next few weeks." Ekta World Chairman Ashok Mohanani said the lockdown has affected the business cycle deeply. Wadhwa group, Head - Sales, Marketing Bhasker Jain said the lockdown has impacted sales and the company is offering cashback on online bookings. Brokerage firm 360 Realtors Ankit Kansal said the activities have come to a standstill after lockdown. Sales were down by 30-40 per cent during the first three weeks of March. Investors Clinic Founder Honeyy Katiyal said sales would be impacted but not the price. Wealth Clinic CMD Amit Raheja said, "It will hamper sales to a large extent, but we expect a good turnaround once the situation returns to normalcy." MJH MRMR

Nationwide lockdown to impact housing sales, say realtors

The festive season is starting from October and the e-Commerce companies are gearing up to woo the customers. The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=e-Commerce">e-Commerce industry</a> is expecting sales of Rs 25,600 crore ($4 billion) this year during <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Diwali">Diwali season</a>. 
 
As per the Hindu calendar, the festive season starts with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/7-Diverse-Dusshera-Celebrations-In-India/articleshow/43980552.cms">‘Navratri’</a> in the month of October. After October, there are a string of festivals and the festivities do not stop till December as the last month of the year is believed to be the most auspicious one for weddings. These festive months, as calculated by the <keyword id="3020651" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Technopark-Advisors">Technopark Advisors</keyword>, are expected to account 40% of the total $10-billion annual sales the Indian e-Commerce industry is aiming to record this year. 
 
The growing sector reported a $7-billion sale in FY15 with 40% sales coming during the festive season. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Snapdeal+">Snapdeal </a>senior vice-president, marketing, Idi Srinivas Murthy, said that the company saw a 15x increase in traffic during <keyword id="188" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Diwali">Diwali</keyword> last year and this year too they were intensifying all aspects of business operations, including logistics, supply-chain, financial and technological support. 
 
"We have launched faster last-mile delivery solutions and a refreshed user interface. We are also developing a host of solutions for our 1,50,000 sellers," Murthy said. 
 
Being the most lucrative period for the whole industry, the companies often compete with each other to gain maximum benefits. The two major grounds on which all the e-tailers focus are delivery performance and customer satisfaction. 
 
Mumbai-based furniture and home products seller <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Pepperfry">Pepperfry</a>, in a bid to make most of the festive season, has increased its merchant base, multiplied marketing outreach, has invested in doubling its logistics capabilities by expanding fulfillment centers, delivery and assembly capabilities as well as technology capabilities. 
 
The company’s chief marketing officer Kashyap Vadapalli said, "Our sales were up 200% (last Diwali) as we took necessary steps both at the logistics and supply end.” 
 
The coming festive months are crucial not just for the e-Commerce industry, but also for the companies providing logistics solutions. Logistics startup<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Delhivery+"> ‘Delhivery’</a> is expecting a significant surge in volumes, similar to last year. 
 "<keyword id="1560090" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Delhivery">Delhivery</keyword> is continuously investing in technology, infrastructure and automation to ensure such surges are managed well during the festive season," said Mohit Tandon, co-founder, of the firm. However, with rising demand, these companies are bound to face innumerable challenges. 
 
"Since the logistics partners are common to almost all players, fulfilling the demands over a given period of time becomes a concern," said Praveen Sinha, managing director and founder of online fashion retailer Jabong. "It is not always easy due to the overwhelming response that we get during this time. It sometimes becomes challenging to have a constant stock of products," he added. 
 
In the past one year mobile and internet penetration has increased further indicating that this year online purchasing will grow multi-fold compared to Diwali 2014, Kushal Nahata, CEO and co-founder of enterprise mobility platform FarEye said. 
 
<a href="http://cdn.youthkiawaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/26/bursting-crackers-just-one-day-year-harm-really-heres-much-needed-guilt-trip/Diwali-crackers.jpg">Image source</a>

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