{
  "id": 1652180,
  "title": "Festive Ecommerce: The Battle Beyond The Checkout",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/festive-ecommerce-the-battle-beyond-the-checkout",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-18T05:30:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Inc42",
    "slug": "inc42",
    "url": "https://inc42.com/features/festive-ecommerce-the-battle-beyond-the-checkout/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As India's ecommerce landscape evolves, the competition intensifies beyond the checkout process during the festive season. The focus is shifting from basic support layers like payments, storefronts, and logistics to an integrated, technology-driven commerce infrastructure. Companies like Cashfree Payments are offering zero payment gateway fees for eligible new merchants, while marketplaces are developing advanced tools and infrastructure to support sellers.\n\nAmazon's AI-powered seller assistant in India, which assists with onboarding, catalog creation, advertising, inventory management, and cross-border expansion, is just one example of the advanced technology being employed by marketplaces. This shift towards a more complex commerce stack increases the potential for order failures, making it essential for brands to ensure every aspect of the process functions smoothly.\n\nFestive sales require brands to have a connected inventory network, balancing demand and supply across marketplaces, brand websites, physical stores, and quick commerce. Accurate SKU-level demand tracking, regional buying patterns, sell-through rates, inventory ageing, return trends, and fulfilment performance are critical for success. AI is increasingly being used to forecast demand shifts earlier than traditional methods, providing a strategic advantage during high-volume events.\n\nHowever, it's not just about having the lowest prices. Customers are becoming more discerning, comparing prices across channels, expecting faster deliveries, evaluating return policies, and rewarding brands that offer a frictionless experience. Investing in product quality, relevance, and operational excellence is crucial for building repeat behaviour during the festive season.\n\nChoosing the right checkout platform is also vital. Payment success rates need to be closely monitored, as a checkout that cannot handle festive-level traffic can lead to significant lost sales despite having a fully stocked inventory. As the ecommerce ecosystem continues to evolve, the winners will be those that combine demand generation with operational excellence, using technology and AI to optimize every stage of the customer journey.",
  "summary": "In last week’s edition of The Checkout, we explored how efficient dark store management will be central to quick commerce…",
  "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."
}