While Australia emerged victorious against India, securing its sixth cricket World Cup, quick-commerce companies in the nation rejoiced. From flowers to soft drinks and chips, customers placed orders for a variety of products on platforms such as Swiggy and Zepto, leading these firms to achieve their highest daily sales ever on November 19.
For instance, Zepto reported receiving between 400,000 to 500,000 orders on that day, marking its “highest-ever order volume.”
Orders for “munchies, beverages, ice creams, and other processed foods saw an increase of 50-100 percent compared to a typical Sunday… surpassing even the scale of Diwali,” emphasized a spokesperson for Zepto, underscoring the magnitude of the event for the entire country.
Zepto, which included a complimentary can of Thums Up with every order exceeding INR 299 in value, reported delivering 200,000 cans by 5:30 p.m. This translated to Zepto achieving at least INR 6 crore in daily sales on November 19, closely aligning with its FY23 performance.
Similar scenarios unfolded on other platforms as well.
“As anticipated, Instamart clocked its highest ever orders during the World Cup finals between India and Australia, beating previous highs like the India-Pakistan match and Diwali,” a Swiggy Instamart spokesperson said.
Blinkit, owned by Zomato, also noted, “Orders for chips consistently peak on days when India is playing. We are currently on course to achieve a new all-time high in chip sales on Blinkit on November 19,” stated Albinder Dhindsa, CEO of Blinkit, around 5 p.m. on X (formerly Twitter).
More than a hundred thousand fans attended the cricket stadium, with a significant majority donning blue jerseys to express their backing for the home team. Likewise, data indicated that fans supporting the Indian cricket team from home also purchased the latest jerseys in substantial quantities.
Swiggy reported that orders for the Indian jersey on Instamart reached a peak of nine jerseys per minute.
The surge occurs as quick-commerce firms are actively expanding their stock keeping units (SKUs) to boost average order volumes (AOVs) and expedite their journey to profitability.
Offering the cricket jersey for INR 999 was a strategic move in that direction. The pricing of the jersey was noteworthy, given that the average order value (AOV) for most quick-commerce firms typically hovers around INR 460-480, with some exceptions during specific seasons.
“Working with Adidas this world cup season was a good decision,” Dhindsa said on November 19.
Earlier this year, the BCCI announced the signing of a kit sponsorship agreement with Adidas, extending until 2028.
As companies experienced a spike in grocery orders, even food orders reached unprecedented levels for certain players. Swiggy, for instance, stated that “by late evening on November 19, orders for food had already exceeded the previous records set during New Year’s Eve and Diwali in the same timeframe by a significant margin.” However, the food tech startup did not disclose specific numerical figures.
Pizza and burgers emerged as the top food choices on the match day. As the match unfolded, customers also placed orders for biryanis, thalis, kachoris, and kebabs, according to Swiggy’s findings.
