BENGALURU: Amazon and Flipkart open their annual festive sales this week, a day apart. Amazon's Great Indian Festival begins on October 8, with Prime members getting 24 hours of early access from October 7. Flipkart's Big Billion Days begins on October 9, with early access from October 8 for Flipkart Plus and Flipkart Black members and Flipkart credit card holders.
Both sales lead into Diwali, which falls on November 8 this year, and both rely on the same tools to pull shoppers in: bank discounts, staggered deal events and early access for paying members.
What each is offering
Amazon is offering a 10 per cent instant discount for customers paying with SBI credit and debit cards and on eligible EMI transactions, and Prime members will get up to 10 per cent extra, Outlook Business reported. Its deals are grouped into Blockbuster Deals, Top 100 Deals, Mega Deals and 8 PM Deals, alongside Buy More Save More, Exchange Mela, Sample Mania and Amazon Combos, with no-cost EMI and exchange offers across categories. The company is also adding AI-powered features that let shoppers compare products, check price histories and get recommendations, and is releasing festive content on Prime Video.
Flipkart is offering up to 10 per cent instant discount on eligible Axis Bank and ICICI Bank cards, 10 per cent savings with the Flipkart Axis Bank credit card, and 10 per cent cashback on the first transaction through its Super Money app, Digit reported. Its sale events include Price Crash, BBD Specials, Tick Tock Deals, Brand Hours, Double Discount and Rush Hours, across smartphones, laptops, earbuds, smartwatches, refrigerators, washing machines, smart home products, home essentials and fashion.
Building for the rush
Amazon said it had created more than 1.6 lakh seasonal jobs across 400 cities for the festive period, and added 20 fulfilment centres, six sort centres and 150 last-mile delivery stations, Outlook Business reported. More than 17 lakh sellers will take part.
The seller base has passed 20 lakh, with more than 3 lakh sellers joining in the past year, Indian Television reported. Amazon says it can now deliver tens of thousands of products within minutes or hours, 10 lakh products on the same day and 40 lakh products the next day. "The Great Indian Festival celebrates the spirit of Indian festivities by bringing together customers, sellers and brands," said Saurabh Srivastava, vice-president at Amazon India.
The company is also expanding Amazon Now, its fast-delivery service for groceries, household essentials, personal care, fashion, beauty and small appliances, from more than 60 cities to 100 before Diwali.
The advertising season
The sales are also the peak of India's advertising year. Digital ad spending in India follows a festive pattern, rising from July and "accelerating sharply through the festive-heavy October period", according to a Sensor Tower report published in February. India's digital advertising market passed $4.2 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $5 billion in 2026, the report said, with shopping apps the largest category at 28 to 30 per cent of spending. Software apps were the fastest-growing advertisers, with spending up 84 per cent, followed by food and dining services at 38 per cent; Facebook and Instagram carried the most ad impressions. Flipkart was the top advertiser, followed by Amazon and Reliance, with on-demand platforms such as Blinkit, Swiggy's Instamart and BigBasket also among the leaders.
Smartphones, laptops and home appliances are at the centre of both companies' offers this year, with Flipkart's bank discounts on Axis and ICICI cards and Amazon's on SBI cards each capped at 10 per cent.
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