Festive shopping demand is giving fashion e-commerce platforms a boost beyond India's biggest cities, with Myntra's Big Fashion Festival recording nearly double the order volumes of regular business days for direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands, international labels and its Gen Z-focused fashion proposition FWD.
The festival, which concluded on Monday, also saw new customer additions from non-metro markets rise 74% over regular business days, while visits increased 25% compared with the previous edition, according to the company. The trends point to a wider consumer base participating in the festive shopping season, alongside continued demand for fashion, beauty and lifestyle products.
The event also provided a sales boost to sellers on the platform. One in four sellers recorded a twofold rise in sales during the festival, while over 1,350 sellers saw sales rise fivefold.
Myntra added it had onboarded 12,000 sellers up till now in 2026, with customers now having access to emerging brands from cities including Surat, Ludhiana, Kolkata and Delhi-NCR.
Brands recording strong traction during the festival included RARE RABBIT, House of Pataudi, The Souled Store, Mamaearth and Minimalist, alongside international labels such as MANGO, H&M, NEXT, ALDO, GAP, GUESS, Michael Kors, adidas and Nike.
Non-metros drive customer growth
Small cities are now emerging as an important source of new buyers during the festive season, with places like Dehradun, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Jammu and Gorakhpur among the fastest-growing non-metros.
26% of all first-time buyers shopped men's casual wear, while West Bengal, Assam and Odisha saw a jump in demand for ethnic clothes, footwear, beauty and personal care products owing to the Pujo season. Ethnic wear brands such as Libas, Inddus, Soch, Koski and Aurelia were popular among buyers.
Men's occasion wear, casual footwear, wearables, sports footwear, watches, eyewear, women's sports apparel, jewellery, luggage and travel accessories were among the fastest-growing categories. Sports footwear sales grew 3.5 times over regular business days. Men's casual wear, personal care, women's ethnic and western wear, and kidswear were among the categories that attracted the highest demand.
Myntra Beauty also recorded growth in customer acquisition, with new customers increasing around 20% over the previous edition. Perfumes, face washes, cleansers, day creams and lipsticks drove demand, with brands including Lakme, Mamaearth, L'Oréal, Maybelline and Cetaphil seeing strong traction.
Quick-commerce orders surge
Myntra's quick-commerce service M-Now recorded more than 2.6 times the orders it registered during the previous Big Fashion Festival, as shoppers used the service for last-minute festive and everyday purchases.
Demand ranged from kurta sets, sarees, shirts, T-shirts, jeans and dresses to perfumes, lipsticks, lingerie and watches. Brands recording high demand on M-Now included MANGO, Allen Solly, USPA, Van Heusen, Trendyol, Puma, Anouk, Sangria, HRX, Maybelline, Lakme and Minimalist.
The fastest M-Now delivery took less than five minutes, while the most expensive item purchased during the event was an international luxury jacket priced at more than Rs 1.9 lakh.
The festival's performance comes as e-commerce companies seek to capture consumer spending during India's festive season, when purchases across apparel, footwear, beauty and lifestyle categories typically gain momentum. For Myntra, the latest results highlight the role of non-metro customers, emerging sellers and faster delivery in expanding its festive shopping business.