Bigbasket Reports 156% Growth in Raksha Bandhan Sales as Festive Shopping Starts Early

Rakhi, sweets, chocolates and curated gifts see higher demand, with over half a million festive items delivered

Bigbasket, a TATA Enterprise and India’s quick commerce platform, reported that Raksha Bandhan shopping began nearly a month before the festival this year. Sales across rakhis, sweets and chocolates increased 156% year-on-year, with more than half a million rakhis and festive gifting items delivered during the period.

Nearly half of these orders were delivered during the final 48 hours of the festival, indicating strong demand closer to the occasion despite the earlier start to festive purchases.

Festive Gifting Expands Beyond Rakhis

Consumer demand extended beyond traditional rakhis, with sweets recording more than double the sales of last year, while chocolates grew 148%. Curated gifting sets also nearly tripled, indicating increased purchases across a wider range of festive products.

More than half of all rakhi and gifting units sold were from bigbasket’s private brand Daivya Sparsh.

The volume of rakhi deliveries also reflected the scale of demand. Placed end to end, the rakhis delivered during the period would span the height of Mount Everest nine times.

Interest also increased across beauty and personal care, fragrances, electronics and general merchandise. Electronics such as smartwatches and audio accessories continued to feature among gifting choices as consumers expanded the range of products associated with Raksha Bandhan.

Vishal Das, Chief Buying and Merchandising Officer, bigbasket, said: “Raksha Bandhan is evolving from a traditional gifting occasion into a broader celebration, and the way consumers shop for it is changing with it. This year, we saw customers start their purchases nearly a month ahead, while also moving beyond rakhis to sweets, chocolates and gifting sets. The growth across these categories shows that consumers are looking for more ways to express the occasion. As the festive season gathers pace, we expect this broader approach to gifting and celebration to continue across categories.”

Raksha Bandhan Signals Wider Festive Shopping

The early start in Raksha Bandhan purchases, together with rising demand for newer gifting categories, points to a broader shopping pattern during the opening weeks of India’s festive calendar.

Customers are increasingly purchasing traditional festive essentials alongside gifting products in the same shopping journey, expanding the occasion beyond the conventional rakhi purchase.

With Raksha Bandhan marking the beginning of the wider festive season, bigbasket expects continued activity across gifting, sweets, beauty, personal care, electronics and other festive categories in the coming weeks.