India’s Black Friday to Cyber Monday shopping window is shaping up to be one of the busiest retail periods of the year, with brands and marketplaces reporting a sharp rise in demand that began well before the official start of the discount weekend. Company executives say sales across categories are expected to grow between 20 and 25 percent over last year, signalling that the American-origin event is steadily finding a place in the country’s retail calendar.
Campaigns kicked off nearly a week in advance on platforms such as Tata CLiQ, Nykaa, Flipkart and Croma, along with manufacturers like Samsung, allowing retailers to tap into strong consumer sentiment that has held firm even a month after Diwali. Electronics chain Vijay Sales said it has already recorded a 20 to 25 percent jump over last year’s Black Friday numbers, calling the momentum a clear indicator of enthusiastic spending.
Retailers say the event is expanding beyond impulse buying. Mall operators report an uptick in planned purchases and a tilt toward premium products, alongside a rise in family outings. At Nexus Select Malls, footfall began climbing noticeably from the start of the week. The company said November typically slows down when Diwali arrives in October, but Black Friday has now begun to bridge that gap.
Brands across fashion, luggage, beauty and home goods are also reporting heightened activity. Urban Jungle, the premium line from Safari, said sales have risen to more than three times its usual weekly average.
Large-screen television models briefly ran out of stock on some platforms as demand outpaced seller estimates, a trend manufacturers attribute to the goods and services tax cut that helped revive the category. Retailers are using late-night hours, curated mall-wide offers and short-window flash deals to sustain traffic through Cyber Monday and the week that follows.
