online diwali shopping
Non-metro cities contributed the most to online Diwali shopping this year, accounting for almost three-fourths of the total e-commerce sales volume. In this also the contribution of third tier cities was more than 50 percent. Logistics platform Clickpost gave this information by analyzing industry data of more than 4.25 crore orders. According to this, these sectors have now become the fastest and biggest drivers of increasing festive e-commerce. In such a situation, the role of non-metropolitan cities has become stronger in terms of order volume and growth.
“The size of non-metropolitan India is astonishing. 50.7 per cent of all orders in 2025 will come from Tier 3 cities alone. Tier 2 (24.8 per cent) and Tier 3 cities represent nearly three-fourths (74.7 per cent) of India’s total orders (in terms of volume), confirming their role in driving e-commerce growth,” the report said.
Demand increased due to Durga Puja
Festive demand was further boosted by Durga Puja, which saw a 14.3 per cent increase in fashion orders in the week leading up to the puja, and cosmetic purchases on Karva Chauth were almost double that of fashion purchases. India’s logistics network maintained a stable average delivery time of 2.83 days for festive consignments. During this period, the share of hyperlocal delivery increased by 42 percent annually to 8.7 percent of all orders.
Cash on delivery remained the preferred method in Tier 3 cities, where 52 per cent of orders came through, while prepayment dominated high-value transactions across the country. Average order value increased by 32.5 percent year-on-year (from Rs 3,281 in 2024 to Rs 4,346 in 2025). Naman Vijay, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO), Clickpost, said, we are entering a new era of Indian retail. An era where tier three cities place more orders than metros. Where cash on delivery is still the first choice.