Ecommerce majors Amazon and Flipkart have witnessed a strong start to festive sales, with huge demand from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.

Flipkart said early access for its ‘Flipkart Plus’ programme saw a 40 per cent growth this year compared to last year, while about 45 per cent of customer demand has been from Tier-3 cities and beyond.

Whereas Amazon India Vice President Manish Tiwary said the platform saw a 60 per cent increase in sellers who received their highest-ever single day sales year-on year on Amazon.in.

“Amazon Great Indian Festival 2021, our month-long festive celebrations has gotten off to a strong start, with millions of customers buying from small sellers listed on Amazon.in, including local shops, startups and brands, artisans, weavers and SMBs.

"During Prime Early Access on October 2, the number of local shops participating in the event more than doubled compared to last year," he added.

"We also saw a 60 per cent increase in sellers who received their highest-ever single-day sales year-on-year on Amazon.in; number of sellers receiving an order from Tier 2/3 cities jumped by 21 per cent, and 16 per cent more sellers received orders over last year," he said.

Amazon India’s Great Indian Festival and Flipkart’s The Big Billion Days has started.

Flipkart, in its statement, said the eighth edition of its TBBD started on a positive note, with early trends reflecting upbeat consumer sentiment in the country.

"Early access for Flipkart Plus customers saw a 40 per cent growth as compared to last year. Interestingly, about 45 per cent of customer demand has been from Tier 3 cities and beyond signalling a strong preference for high-value goods/ items," it said.

"This year, TBBD has started off seeing upbeat participation by customers and sellers. Ecommerce is clearly gaining increasing acceptance among the masses, and it is evident that user-friendly technical and financial constructs are helping to drive its adoption," Flipkart Vice-President (Customer and Growth) Nandita Sinha said.