Durable Retailers Report Weak Sales During Dusshera, While E-Commerce Players See Robust Growth

However, brands like Haier, Godrej Appliances, and Panasonic claimed that they witnessed nearly 20-30 per cent surge in sales during the Navratri-Dusshera period as against year-ago period

The retailers reported a jump in sales of nearly 6-7 per cent on a year-on-year (YoY) basis this weekend. However, this remained much lower than the 10-15 per cent rise in sales seen during the same period a year earlier

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The Dusshera period of the current festive season turned out to be sluggish for durable retailers, while e-commerce players reported robust sales during the period. Shopping is expected to be at its peak levels during the Dusshera to Diwali period in the year.

The retailers reported a jump in sales of nearly 6-7 per cent on a year-on-year (YoY) basis this weekend. However, this remained much lower than the 10-15 per cent rise in sales seen during the same period a year earlier, reported The Financial Express. Industry insiders remained optimistic that these trends will improve closer to Diwali.

Quoting Nilesh Gupta, Director, Vijay Sales, the report said, “There have been footfalls in stores in the run-up to Dussehra, which has led to sales conversions. This Dussehra weekend, sales growth has been 6-7% versus last year. For the upcoming Diwali season, we are hoping for a 10% y-o-y sales growth.”

Meanwhile, brands like Haier, Godrej Appliances, and Panasonic claimed that they witnessed nearly 20 per cent to 30 per cent surge in sales during the Navratri-Dusshera period as against the corresponding period a year earlier. This growth was driven by premium products.

Apparel sales, on the other hand, recorded a growth of 7-8 per cent during the Navratri-Dusshera period in comparison to a year earlier. Some apparel retailers noted that they are also logging a double-digit growth of nearly 13-14 per cent, driven by pent-up demand and the wedding season which will kick off after Diwali. 

Devarajan Iyer, Executive Director and CEO, Lifestyle India, commented, “Apparel sales have been better than last year, which is a relief. Overall sales growth has been in double digits, led by pent-up demand and the need to shop for the festive and wedding season.”

Unicommerce revealed that e-commerce sales registered a healthy growth of 16 per cent in the first 10 days of the current festive season as against the corresponding period a year earlier. This growth in sales was driven by categories like home decor, electronics, gaming accessories, and travel accessories.