From a single user splurging ₹8.3 lakhs on gold this Dhanteras to 307 roses being ordered every minute on Valentine’s Day, Swiggy Instamart delivered on a wide range of consumer demands, including late-night snacks and festive essentials.
The latest edition of How India Swiggy’d 2024—Quick Commerce Edition delves into the growing appetite for fast deliveries of both everyday items and special treats, painting a picture of India’s evolving consumer behaviour.
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Top purchases in 2024: Big spenders and daily essentials
Delhi and Dehradun emerged as the top spenders, with both cities seeing users shell out over ₹20 lakh each on Swiggy Instamart this year. Their carts were filled with staples like atta, milk, and oil, hinting at a kitchen-centric shopping spree. Nationwide, the most common items were milk, curd, dosa batter, chips, and soft drinks, with milk making an appearance in 1 out of every 15 orders. Fruits and vegetables were also popular, with 1 in every 5 orders including them.
Among the year’s notable spenders, a Mumbai pet lover spent over ₹15 lakh on pet food, primarily for dogs and cats. Meanwhile, a Chennai user splurged ₹1.25 lakh on electronics, including gaming earphones, smartwatches, and home appliances. In another surprising twist, a resident of Hyderabad made headlines by spending ₹35,000 on mangoes during the peak of the mango season in May.
Timing of the 10-minutes deliveries?
India’s quick commerce habits vary throughout the day, with different items ordered at distinct times. Early mornings, from 4 am to 7 am, are dominated by essentials like milk, eggs, and vegetables. The late-night hours, between 10 pm and 4 am, witness a surge in orders for ice cream, cold drinks, and chips. Meanwhile, sanitary pads saw the highest demand between 8 PM and 9 PM, particularly in November when the weather changed. Pain relief products also spiked in demand during this time.
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Festive surprises and peak season sales
Festivals provided some of the most memorable Swiggy Instamart moments. On Dhanteras, an Amdavadi set a new record by purchasing ₹8.3 lakh worth of gold coins, while the rest of the country went on a cleaning spree, spending over ₹45 lakh on brooms for Diwali. Delhi also led the charge with ₹4.6 lakh spent on poker chips, marking a festive flair with a twist.
Swiggy Instamart delivered close to 8 lakh rakhis on Raksha Bandhan, with one user in Mumbai ordering 31 rakhis in a single delivery. Meanwhile, Valentine’s Day saw love filling up shopping carts, with 307 roses ordered every minute at the peak.
City-specific trends and shopping habits
In 2024, Bengaluru topped the charts for both puja essentials and party supplies, going head-to-head with Mumbai, which also made significant orders for wine and shot glasses, especially during Diwali. Bengaluru was also the leader in toothbrush purchases, with over 270,000 orders placed in the city this year.
Mumbai earned its place as the “Maximum City” with a whopping ₹8.2 lakh spent on tonic water in a single day. The city also dominated umbrella and raincoat purchases, with October 15 marking the highest number of umbrella orders. Meanwhile, Delhi was the nation’s snack capital, spending approximately ₹60 crore on instant noodles and potato chips. Snack lovers from cities like Hyderabad, Kochi, and Kolkata went all-in on chips, with some individuals spending more than ₹75,000 on snacks in 2024.
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Stealthiest orders and fastest deliveries
The night shift revealed some interesting purchasing patterns, with the peak time for “incognito” shopping happening between 10 pm and 11 pm. Items like masala-flavoured chips, Kurkure, and flavoured condoms saw a surge in sales during these hours, especially in Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.
Swiggy Instamart set a new record for the fastest delivery of the year in Kochi, where an order consisting of nendran bananas and red amaranthus was delivered in a mere 89 seconds, covering just 180 meters. Meanwhile, the most affordable purchase of the year came in at ₹3 — a pencil sharpener bought by a Hyderabad user.
Eco-conscious and international shoppers
Cities like Hyderabad and Bengaluru prefered “Deliver Without Bag” option, showcasing a commitment to sustainability. On the international front, Swiggy Instamart saw a significant number of orders from customers in Canada, the United States, Kuwait, and Singapore, who sent essentials like milk, dosa batter, and water to their loved ones in India.
