Karwa Chauth shopping spreads beyond the North as D2C sales surge 64%

Kolkata: Karwa Chauth is emerging as a shopping occasion beyond its traditional north Indian stronghold, with direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales on GoKwik’s network rising 64% year-on-year in the six days leading up to the festival, signalling growing demand for festive products across central, western and eastern India.

Orders on the commerce growth platform increased 60% to 3.19 million from 2 million in the corresponding period last year, according to the company’s analysis. While northern India continued to dominate demand, purchases of products specifically marketed for Karwa Chauth rose sharply in other regions, suggesting brands have an opportunity to expand their festive offerings beyond established markets.

Demand for festival-labelled products surged 3.4 times in central India, 2.7 times in western India and 2.3 times in eastern and northeastern India. Southern India recorded growth of around 3%, while northern India remained the largest market, with demand reaching 3.9 times the year-earlier level.


The north’s share of festival-labelled orders also increased to 62% from 46%, indicating that the expansion into newer markets has accompanied even stronger growth in the festival’s traditional heartland.

Shopping patterns reflected the occasion’s mix of rituals, dressing up and gifting. In northern India, demand for pooja accessories reached 3.2 times the regular-week baseline, while mangalsutra and bridal jewellery demand rose to 2.35 times the baseline. Jewellery sets recorded 2.27 times the usual demand, while purchases of maang tikka more than doubled.

Beauty and fashion also benefited, with demand for face makeup rising 76% and ethnic wear increasing 73%.

Festive fashion purchases showed a preference for red, maroon and magenta, according to a separate analysis of a subset of products. The findings suggest richer, traditional shades are gaining ground alongside the pastel colours that have featured prominently in recent festive seasons.

“Karwa Chauth’s commercial relevance extends beyond its traditional northern heartland. The occasion brings together ritual preparation, dressing and gifting, creating demand across several categories,” said Chirag Taneja, co-founder and chief executive officer of GoKwik.

Growth across central, western and eastern India presents an opportunity for brands to cater to regional preferences, he said, adding that timely product availability and dependable delivery are critical for purchases tied to a specific festival date.

Payment behaviour offered another insight into the occasion-led shopping trend. Prepaid purchases accounted for 60% of orders for products explicitly labelled for Karwa Chauth, compared with 54% across GoKwik’s wider network. The difference points to a greater preference for upfront payment among shoppers buying festival-specific products.

Coupon usage, meanwhile, declined to 47.4% from 51.9%, suggesting that occasion-led demand may be playing a greater role in purchase decisions than promotional offers alone.

Despite the growth, only 37 merchants on the network explicitly marketed products for Karwa Chauth, leaving room for brands to build dedicated collections and targeted campaigns around the festival.

GoKwik, which serves more than 15,000 D2C brands, said jewellery, beauty and ethnic-wear businesses could benefit from occasion-specific assortments, regional targeting and inventory planning aligned with local demand. Its services include checkout and shipping solutions, WhatsApp commerce through Kwik Engage and performance marketing through Kwik Ads.

The company cautioned that year-on-year comparisons reflect the expansion of its merchant network. The analysis covered transactions across its network during the six-day period, alongside a separate subset of products explicitly labelled for the festival.