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Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Centre suggests 'country of origin' filter on e-commerce sites
Centre suggests 'country of origin' filter on e-commerce sites New Delhi/Mumbai: Consumer affairs department on Friday suggested e-commerce companies explore including a new filter feature of "country of origin" on their websites and mobile apps for products, which will help consumers make quick choices. E-commerce platforms would have to create a new filter having a drop down menu of countries, allowing consumers to make their choice as per their preference. At present, companies display the country of origin of items under the product description option and to check this, buyers need to go through the entire information of each product, which is more time taking. "Many of the e-commerce platforms have filters on their sites and apps such as price range, brand, type of product and different sizes. So, adding another filter on country of origin is very much feasible and that will help consumers to find items of their choice based on their country of origin quickly. This will bring customer satisfaction," said an official. The department held a video conference with industry players and other stakeholders on Friday for amending the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules for country of origin-based filters on their platforms. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like How Much Does It Cost to Rent a Private Jet - The Prices May Surprise You! Private Jet I Search Ads Learn More Undo "There was almost a consensus among the participants, including from major ecommerce firms, and they said this would need change in the algorithm to create this new filter feature. We will hold more deliberations with the stakeholders," said an official. Sources said earlier the e-commerce firms smoothly complied with the Legal Metrology Rules for labeling packaged commodities. Industry sources said the meeting was more of an exploratory one where the idea was to understand the feasibility of getting the added filter within apps and platforms. They added that officials wanted to understand the constraints of companies if they were to create such a feature. "For marketplaces like Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra, it would be more of a tech related issue, which can be solved. But for companies which hold inventory, there may be an added compliance burden," one of them said. Another e-commerce executive, however, said that given the limited space on mobile phones, adding another filter could be a constraint. "It could be quite draining for the industry. And the expectation of the ministry is to get it done before the festive season if it gets implemented," he said. Satish Meena, adviser at market research firm Datum Intelligence, said if this is implemented, customers will be able to filter out products based on their country of origin which means that some brands on these platforms could lose visibility. "Until now, not many consumers paid so much attention to a product's country of origin. But overall, it shouldn't be a very big challenge for platforms," he added. For quick commerce platforms, food and grocery accounts for a major part of their coverage as of now and most of them are sourced from India anyway. A very small part of their inventory comes from out of India currently, added Meena.
Time of India
16-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Mid-year ecommerce sales spike sets the stage for cracking festive season
Ecommerce order volumes during the recent sale period grew 19% compared with a year earlier, according to market trackers and sharp discounts-driven rise in consumer demand, across categories such as smart TVs, headphones, air conditioners, kids' essentials, and luggage, is seen setting the tone for the festive season that starts in September, according to brands and industry July 11-14 sale window, which saw overlapping campaigns from marketplaces like Amazon India and Flipkart as well as direct-to-consumer brands, marked a notable uptick in volumes, according to ecommerce software company Unicommerce. Analysts say this momentum could help lift performance in the current quarter, offering some respite amid a broader slowdown in ecommerce tier-I and metro cities saw a 15% year-on-year rise in order volumes, tier-II and tier-III cities recorded faster growth at 21% and 22%, respectively during this year's sale period compared to 2024, Unicommerce assumes significance as ecommerce companies look to rebound from sluggish growth last year, when the sector posted 10-12% annual growth as per a Bain-Flipkart report, compared with 20-30% till a few years sale events – such as Amazon 's Great Indian Festival Sale and Flipkart's The Big Billion Days – during the festive season typically account for almost half of the gross merchandise value these companies report in a for Flipkart and Amazon India said the platforms posted strong growth in consumer electronics, smartphones, beauty, fashion and other categories during the recent events.'Premium segments are performing exceptionally well, with high-end smartphones, TVs and consumer electronics showing double-digit growth led by Samsung, Apple, Sony , Lenovo and OnePlus,' an Amazon India spokesperson said.'TVs perform better during this (sale) period because they are appliances that people plan to buy and often wait for the best deals,' ecommerce consultancy firm Datum Intelligence's Satish Meena said. 'Tablets saw some increase – better than smartphones – but still remained under 10%. Standard headphones, on the other hand, have performed very well this time too. Even air-conditioner sales have exceeded expectations, despite the summer not being particularly strong.'Consumer electronics company Boat, luggage makers Eume and Uppercase, home appliances brand Atomberg, kitchen equipment manufacturer Solara and fashion brand Zouk posted strong sales during the July sale saw a rise in sales during Prime Day, with overall growth in the audio category expected to exceed 20%, said the IPO-bound company's chief operating officer, Gaurav Nayyar. Kitchen appliance startup Beyond Appliances said it recorded a fivefold increase in sales over the last two days compared with business-as-usual (BAU).Atomberg saw double-digit growth in fan sales during the sale period, while its mixer grinder category posted an eightfold increase in volumes, the Mumbai-based consumer appliances maker Krishnakumar, founder of fashion brand Zouk, said its sales rose fourfold across marketplaces compared with usual business levels. Shreyans Jain, cofounder of sports nutrition startup Nutrabay, said it saw a threefold jump in sales compared with BAU and a 43% increase over last year's brand Uppercase witnessed a sixfold jump in sales during the sale period compared to normal days, with year-on-year growth of nearly 80%. Eume said its revenue for Q1 FY26 is roughly 80 % higher than the previous quarter and it expects a similar momentum in Q2.'We usually give a discount of 15-20% on a BAU day and during this promotion period, that will go anywhere between 40% and 45% depending on the stock that we have of the particular product. So, if we want to liquidate, this is the right time,' said Uppercase cofounder and managing director Sudip executives said these sales marked the beginning of festive season preparations, with brands now ramping up their supply efforts with new product launches and category push.'One aspect of preparation is very supply-focused, where I think a lot of the inbounding of products into warehouses will start in about a month. We have a bunch of new products for the festive season that we will be launching,' Krishnakumar of fashion brand Zouk are now revising their estimates for Diwali based on the current demand to have enough inventory ahead of the event.'Diwali is our key focus, and these numbers have prompted us to re-forecast for the year. Last year was relatively slow for both Amazon and the broader market, but this time, Prime Day is shaping up to be a strong indicator for the upcoming festive season. The positive signals we're seeing now are the reason we're recalibrating our plans,' said Solara's founder and chief executive Gopal Ghose said the company has new product launches planned for the festive season, which also coincides with peak travel months, a period when categories like check-in luggage are expected to see strong Ventures-backed kids' personal care brand Tuco Intelligent, which said it saw a twofold increase in sales, said it plans to launch new gifting SKUs in skincare, lotions, and makeup in time for Diwali.'Overall, consumer spending is returning to the market, so we can expect higher spending during the Diwali sales,' said Datum's Meena.
Economic Times
16-07-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Mid-year ecommerce sales spike sets the stage for cracking festive season
ETtech Ecommerce order volumes during the recent sale period grew 19% compared with a year earlier, according to market trackers and sharp discounts-driven rise in consumer demand, across categories such as smart TVs, headphones, air conditioners, kids' essentials, and luggage, is seen setting the tone for the festive season that starts in September, according to brands and industry analysts. The July 11-14 sale window, which saw overlapping campaigns from marketplaces like Amazon India and Flipkart as well as direct-to-consumer brands, marked a notable uptick in volumes, according to ecommerce software company Unicommerce. Analysts say this momentum could help lift performance in the current quarter, offering some respite amid a broader slowdown in ecommerce growth. While tier-I and metro cities saw a 15% year-on-year rise in order volumes, tier-II and tier-III cities recorded faster growth at 21% and 22%, respectively during this year's sale period compared to 2024, Unicommerce assumes significance as ecommerce companies look to rebound from sluggish growth last year, when the sector posted 10-12% annual growth as per a Bain-Flipkart report, compared with 20-30% till a few years ago. The sale events – such as Amazon's Great Indian Festival Sale and Flipkart's The Big Billion Days – during the festive season typically account for almost half of the gross merchandise value these companies report in a year. Spokespeople for Flipkart and Amazon India said the platforms posted strong growth in consumer electronics, smartphones, beauty, fashion and other categories during the recent events. 'Premium segments are performing exceptionally well, with high-end smartphones, TVs and consumer electronics showing double-digit growth led by Samsung, Apple, Sony, Lenovo and OnePlus,' an Amazon India spokesperson said. 'TVs perform better during this (sale) period because they are appliances that people plan to buy and often wait for the best deals,' ecommerce consultancy firm Datum Intelligence's Satish Meena said. 'Tablets saw some increase – better than smartphones – but still remained under 10%. Standard headphones, on the other hand, have performed very well this time too. Even air-conditioner sales have exceeded expectations, despite the summer not being particularly strong.' Keeping count Consumer electronics company Boat, luggage makers Eume and Uppercase, home appliances brand Atomberg, kitchen equipment manufacturer Solara and fashion brand Zouk posted strong sales during the July sale saw a rise in sales during Prime Day, with overall growth in the audio category expected to exceed 20%, said the IPO-bound company's chief operating officer, Gaurav Nayyar. Kitchen appliance startup Beyond Appliances said it recorded a fivefold increase in sales over the last two days compared with business-as-usual (BAU).Atomberg saw double-digit growth in fan sales during the sale period, while its mixer grinder category posted an eightfold increase in volumes, the Mumbai-based consumer appliances maker Krishnakumar, founder of fashion brand Zouk, said its sales rose fourfold across marketplaces compared with usual business levels. Shreyans Jain, cofounder of sports nutrition startup Nutrabay, said it saw a threefold jump in sales compared with BAU and a 43% increase over last year's brand Uppercase witnessed a sixfold jump in sales during the sale period compared to normal days, with year-on-year growth of nearly 80%. Eume said its revenue for Q1 FY26 is roughly 80 % higher than the previous quarter and it expects a similar momentum in Q2.'We usually give a discount of 15-20% on a BAU day and during this promotion period, that will go anywhere between 40% and 45% depending on the stock that we have of the particular product. So, if we want to liquidate, this is the right time,' said Uppercase cofounder and managing director Sudip Ghose. Prep for festive sales Several executives said these sales marked the beginning of festive season preparations, with brands now ramping up their supply efforts with new product launches and category push.'One aspect of preparation is very supply-focused, where I think a lot of the inbounding of products into warehouses will start in about a month. We have a bunch of new products for the festive season that we will be launching,' Krishnakumar of fashion brand Zouk are now revising their estimates for Diwali based on the current demand to have enough inventory ahead of the event.'Diwali is our key focus, and these numbers have prompted us to re-forecast for the year. Last year was relatively slow for both Amazon and the broader market, but this time, Prime Day is shaping up to be a strong indicator for the upcoming festive season. The positive signals we're seeing now are the reason we're recalibrating our plans,' said Solara's founder and chief executive Gopal Ghose said the company has new product launches planned for the festive season, which also coincides with peak travel months, a period when categories like check-in luggage are expected to see strong Ventures-backed kids' personal care brand Tuco Intelligent, which said it saw a twofold increase in sales, said it plans to launch new gifting SKUs in skincare, lotions, and makeup in time for Diwali.'Overall, consumer spending is returning to the market, so we can expect higher spending during the Diwali sales,' said Datum's Meena. Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Leadership shakeups cloud Ola Electric's revival attempts Trent trips on the ramp. Is it still worth the splurge or time to change brands? Just before the Air India crash, did India avert another deadly mishap? 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Economic Times
11-07-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Blinkit, Instamart gain in quick commerce as Zepto stalls in Q1
Quick commerce platforms Eternal-owned Blinkit and Swiggy's Instamart are estimated to have gained market share in the April–June quarter, according to brokerages and industry analysts. This comes as Zepto has been witnessing a slowdown in user numbers and growth while working to tighten its cash spending. In the first quarter of fiscal 2026, Blinkit's gross order value (GOV) is expected to have grown more than 25% quarter-on-quarter, ICICI Securities said in a report. The brokerage estimates Instamart's growth to be 22%. In comparison, the quick commerce sector as a whole expanded less than 20% sequentially, 'implying that both players gained market share', it said. Quick commerce platforms are now focusing heavily on profitability by improving average order values (AOV) and slowing the pace of dark store additions, the report a yearly basis, Blinkit is projected to report a 140% increase in GOV and Instamart 110%, as per the brokerage parents of Blinkit and Instamart are listed. They have yet to declare the April-June quarter results. Zepto, their nearest rival, is privately owned and doesn't declare quarterly numbers. In the January-March period of FY25, Blinkit's GOV rose 134% from a year earlier, faster than Instamart's growth of 101%. However, Blinkit, which is the market leader in the segment, reported an operational loss of Rs 178 crore for the quarter, almost five times wider than the same quarter a year earlier. Instamart's operating loss widened nearly threefold to Rs 840 crore in the quarter, as it focused on rapidly adding dark stores, or mini warehouses. 'Blinkit and Instamart's market share is increasing because of new customer additions and existing quick commerce users shifting apps and increasing AOV,' said Satish Meena, founder of Datum Intelligence, an ecommerce and quick commerce consultancy firm. 'A lot of this shift in user base is happening from Zepto because there is growing concern of the platform's pricing pattern, customer service and other things,' he to Datum Intelligence, the daily active users for both Zepto and Blinkit were 5.5 million in December 2024. In June 2025, this number reduced to 4.9 million for Zepto, but rose to 6.2 million for Blinkit. Meanwhile, the Instamart standalone app, which was launched in January this year, had a daily active user count of 1.1 million in June. Instamart is also available on the main Swiggy app. Focus on profitability As competitive intensity cools off in the sector—seen through rationalising discounts and marketing spends—companies are increasingly focused on improving their unit to the ICICI Securities report, the performance marketing spends of both Blinkit and Instamart have remained muted in the first quarter of FY26. This expense represents the spending on customer acquisition and for promoting offerings such as 10-minute food the same time, platforms are focusing on increasing their AOV by offering discounts on high-cart value orders. For instance, Instamart has introduced 'Maxxsaver', which offers users more discounts on shopping for Rs 799 at least. Under Zepto's 'Super Saver', users get more discounts when shopping for a minimum of Rs 499. 'Our recently added segment, which gives more discounts to users on bulk orders, has been very popular among users and doing well,' said a senior quick commerce executive. 'Overall, the focus has also been on increasing SKUs (stock-keeping units) in the current dark stores for a while now and it continues.' In another attempt to increase profitability, quick commerce players have begun adding a range of fees—from platform and handling charges to convenience, small-cart and rain levies—to customer orders to shore up their unit economics, ET reported on June 30. Such service fees go directly to the revenue and subsequently leads to margin improvement for the additions of both dark stores and mother warehouses by the top three quick commerce players – Blinkit, Zepto and Instamart – are also expected to be lower in the first quarter of FY26 in comparison to Q4 of FY25, according to brokerage firms. Blinkit and Instamart are expected to have reduced their dark store addition to about 250 and 80 new stores in the first quarter of FY26 from 294 and 316 stores, respectively, added in the previous three months, according to analysts at JM Financial. 'This is mainly because Instamart and Zepto have already exceeded their near-term dark store targets of 1,000+ … while Blinkit is on track to achieving its 2,000 dark stores guidance by December 2025.' Also Read: How dark stores are powering quick commerce's rise
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Blink and you pay: The 10-minute tomato and cola might cost more than you think
A few months ago, buying a bunch of bananas or a packet of sugar at 10pm with just a few taps on your phone felt like magic. For many in India's big cities, 10-minute grocery delivery became a habit — a small luxury that promised speed and ease. But now, that convenience is coming at a cost, ToI reported. More and more users of Swiggy Instamart , Blinkit , and Zepto are noticing that their bills have started to creep up — not because of the items themselves, but because of the quiet add-ons. From handling fees to rain surcharges, small cart penalties to surge pricing, consumers say they are now paying up to ₹50 extra on every small order. The growing list of charges includes a fixed handling fee of ₹10 to ₹21, along with GST, delivery charges, small cart fees, rain fees, and surge pricing when applicable. While people still enjoy the convenience, many shoppers are going back to comparing prices — both offline and across different online platforms — before opening their quick commerce apps. What once gave these platforms an edge over neighbourhood kiranas — better prices and delivery speed — is now being undone by their rising fee structures. Delhi-based consumer Urvashi Sharma said, "I buy fruits and vegetables from local vendors now. Fruits, for example, tend to be cheaper by ₹30-40. Tomatoes and peas usually are cheaper online, but if you add handling and delivery fees, it comes to the same amount." Market researcher Satish Meena, adviser at Datum Intelligence, said that earlier, customers didn't think twice before placing frequent, small orders. But now they're more cautious — often delaying purchases or clubbing them together to avoid paying extra fees again and again. This shift in behaviour could hurt the gross order value (GOV) of these platforms and slow the movement of goods, which in turn increases the cost of running their dark stores. Live Events You Might Also Like: Quick commerce apps stack up extra fees to curb losses "Consumers are finding quick commerce a bit expensive, but convenience is still the winner. The platforms are trying to move consumers to planned purchases through plans like Super Saver and Maxxsaver, but there's a long way to go," Meena said. Fee structures are not just increasing — they are also becoming harder to track. Swiggy and Zepto typically waive delivery fees if the order is worth around ₹200 or more. But Blinkit requires customers to spend at least ₹500 for free delivery. The platforms did not comment on their pricing policies. Even the fixed fees aren't all that fixed. Swiggy's Instamart can charge anywhere between ₹10 and ₹15 depending on the order value. Zepto usually charges ₹21 for larger orders and ₹13 for smaller ones. Blinkit's handling fee is typically ₹11. Rain fees and surge fees are generally ₹15 and ₹30, respectively, and can be added when demand spikes or weather worsens. For companies still running at a loss, these added charges help improve their financials. But for customers placing last-minute or small-sized orders — the kind that built the quick commerce habit in the first place — the rising costs are hard to justify. Mumbai-based professional Nandini Paul said that even though she pays for premium services like Swiggy One and Zepto Daily to get discounts and benefits, she often ends up paying more than she would on Blinkit for the same basket. "Despite paying for Swiggy One membership and Zepto Daily to avail discounts and other benefits, I often end up paying higher prices on the platforms for the same cart compared to Blinkit," she said. Another customer pointed out the illusion of discounts and free delivery. "There are hidden charges on quick commerce platforms and an illusion of discounts. These days, I think, if I had more time, I would directly shop from the market. But the fact that I can shop anytime of the day is a plus," the consumer said. A recent JM Financial research note said most quick commerce platforms have increased the minimum order value needed to get free delivery. In a comparison of 11-item orders across Instamart , Zepto, Blinkit, and DMart Ready, Blinkit turned out to be the most expensive, while DMart Ready was the cheapest. According to a report by Bain, quick commerce companies have improved their financials by increasing the value of each order, cutting supply chain costs, and boosting profit margins. They have done this by sourcing goods directly from farmers and producers, and by earning more through ads and platform fees. But to keep growing in a profitable way, these firms will have to change their business strategies for smaller towns and cities, deal with more competition, and make supply chains more efficient. The market is also shifting to a two-speed model, where a few products will be delivered in under 15 minutes, while a wider range will arrive within an hour. As quick commerce expands into more cities and begins selling larger items like consumer electronics, the logistics will become more complicated. How well these platforms manage those challenges will decide how much of the overall e-commerce market they can capture. The sector remains crowded, and while there is space for both kiranas and online platforms, one question continues to trouble consumers — how much is too much to pay for convenience? (with ToI inputs) Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
