Bengaluru, August 29, 2026: bigbasket, a TATA Enterprise and India’s trusted quick commerce platform, saw Raksha Bandhan shopping begin nearly a month ahead of the festival this year. Sales across rakhis, sweets and chocolates grew 156% over last year, with more than half a million rakhis and festive gifting items delivered during the period. Nearly half of these were delivered in the final 48 hours of the festival.
The festival itself is changing shape. Sweets more than doubled, chocolates grew 148% and curated gifting sets nearly tripled, as customers moved beyond the traditional thread to fuller expressions of the bond. More than half of all rakhi and gifting units sold were from bigbasket’s private brand Daivya Sparsh, reflecting growing demand for differentiated festive offerings.
The scale of rakhi demand was also significant. Placed end to end, the rakhis delivered would span the height of Mount Everest 9 times over. The concentration of orders in the final 48 hours also highlights the sharp increase in shopping closer to the festival, even as purchases began much earlier.
The shift was visible beyond traditional festive categories as well, with beauty and personal care, fragrances, electronics and general merchandise seeing increased interest. Electronics, including smartwatches and audio accessories, continued to emerge as gifting choices, as consumers broadened what they considered appropriate for the occasion.
Vishal Das, Chief Buying and Merchandising Officer, bigbasket, said: “Raksha Bandhan is evolving from a traditional gifting occasion into a broader celebration, and the way consumers shop for it is changing with it. This year, we saw customers start their purchases nearly a month ahead, while also moving beyond rakhis to sweets, chocolates and gifting sets. The growth across these categories shows that consumers are looking for more ways to express the occasion. As the festive season gathers pace, we expect this broader approach to gifting and celebration to continue across categories.”
The early start to Raksha Bandhan shopping, combined with the expansion into newer gifting categories, points to the festival taking on a larger role in the opening weeks of India’s festive shopping calendar. Customers are increasingly combining traditional festive essentials with gifting choices in the same shopping journey, making the occasion broader than the traditional rakhi purchase.
With Raksha Bandhan marking the beginning of the broader festive season, bigbasket expects continued momentum across gifting, sweets, beauty, personal care, electronics and other festive categories in the weeks ahead.
About bigbasket
bigbasket, a TATA Enterprise, is redefining the online grocery experience in India. Trusted by over 10 million customers, the platform offers delivery across a wide range of over 20,000 products including groceries, fresh produce, fruits and vegetables, medicines, fashion, electronics, beauty, and more, all in one place. With a presence in 60+ cities, including Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, bigbasket operates through a strong network of 850+ dark stores, ensuring speed, convenience, and reliability at scale.
