Indian quick-commerce demand surges during Valentine’s week

Quick commerce platforms in India reported a surge in demand during Valentine’s week, driven by last-minute gifting and promotions.

Swiggy Instamart reported a 10x increase in orders for jewelry, greeting cards, and plush toys, with a peak of 1,042 chocolates ordered per minute on February 14—the highest spike ever on Valentine’s Day.

Flipkart Minutes reported a 7x year-on-year sales rise, with demand growing beyond metros to towns like Ranchi, Ludhiana, Siliguri, and Dehradun.

Platforms including Zepto, Blinkit, Flipkart Minutes, and Swiggy created Valentine’s offer sections a week early.

Key categories were flowers, chocolates, gift packs, and gifts in fashion, jewelry, personal care, and sexual health.

Brands across these categories saw increased interest, according to industry reports.

D2C brands Floweraura and Palmonas grew strongly; Floweraura’s sales rose 32% year-on-year, while Palmonas noted most orders in the 1,000–1,400 rupee range, showing a shift to premium yet affordable gifts.

🔗 Source: The Economic Times

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Brands are paying heavily for last-minute shopper access

During Valentine’s week, D2C (direct-to-consumer) brands such as Floweraura and Palmonas rode organic demand. Paid placements on quick commerce platforms also boosted sales 1.
Some D2C sellers now put 60–70% of total marketing budgets into quick commerce ads, cutting spend on Google and Meta 1.
Brands report conversion rates of 3–8% on these rapid delivery apps. Google and Meta often land at 1.5–3%, since quick commerce reaches shoppers ready to buy 2.
Sellers allege Blinkit requires a ₹25,000 listing fee per SKU (stock keeping unit) per state, credited to an ad wallet 3 2. Some brands add that platforms pitch ₹10–20 lakh monthly ad and visibility packages for discoverability 3 2.

Quick commerce is reshaping both retail and digital advertising

Valentine’s Day buying fits a wider pattern seen during festivals. Shoppers increasingly place late orders through quick commerce instead of planning weeks ahead 4.
Quick commerce now competes with Google and Meta for marketing spend. Blinkit and Zepto each reportedly brought in about ₹1,000 crore in ad revenue in FY25 (financial year 2025) 2.
These services have moved beyond groceries and gifts. They are also pushing premium electronics, home goods, and other premium and lifestyle brands with higher margins 5.
Non-FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) categories are estimated at 15–20% of quick commerce GMV (gross merchandise value) 5. That share suggests the model extends past grocery-led shopping 5.