{
  "id": 13791798,
  "title": "Festive online sales off to fine 'premium' start",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/festive-online-sales-off-to-fine-premium-start",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-11T19:46:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times",
    "slug": "the-economic-times",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/retail/have-money-will-buy-festive-online-sales-off-to-fine-premium-start/articleshow/134876862.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "India's e-commerce sales kicked off strongly during the festive season, buoyed by a soaring affordability rate and premium product demand, despite inflationary pressures. Executives from FMCG, apparel, and electronics firms reported a 40% surge in online purchases over the first three days compared to the previous year. The trend extended to quick-commerce platforms, particularly for small electronic and household items, in addition to traditional consumer goods.\n\nThe Navratri festival served as a catalyst for the strong start, coinciding with the end of the Shradh period on Sunday night. In Kolkata, Haier India's CEO, Satish NS, noted a 30% year-on-year increase in sales during the initial three days, driven by consumers opting for higher-value products.\n\nParle Products' Chief Marketing Officer, Mayank Shah, reported a 45-50% jump in packaged food sales, driven by mid-sized and large pack sizes. Consumers are gravitating towards differentiated and healthier options, with quick-commerce transactions on the rise. Average bill values on these platforms have climbed 15-20% in urban areas, while smaller towns are witnessing first-time users.\n\nIn the electronics sector, premium sales have helped offset the impact of repeated price hikes. Super Plastronics, a TV manufacturer, saw a 10% increase in sales over the first two days, accelerating to 20% from Sunday midnight. The growth was attributed to a shift towards larger screen sizes (55 and 65 inches), despite a decline in smaller 32-inch models due to a GST reduction last year.\n\nSmaller appliance maker Wonderchef also reported a 20% year-on-year sales increase in the first three days, led by premium products. However, cautious mass-market buyers, affected by global uncertainty and stock market weakness, lagged behind. Premium smartphones, priced above ₹45,000, bucked a 12% decline in overall mobile phone sales, marking the only segment to grow. Research director Tarun Pathak from Counterpoint Research attributed this to a 35-40% price increase in smartphones, partly due to surging demand for memory chips used in AI data centers.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}