Orders during the Republic Day sale period increased 34%, beauty sales rose fastest: GoKwik

Mumbai: India’s Republic Day sales have seen online orders rise sharply with a clear shift in channel and payment method to buy direct to consumer brands outside India’s main festive season, according to data from GoKwik.

Orders during the 2026 Republic Day sale period increased 34% from a year ago, while gross merchandise value rose about 30%, the company said. Beauty and personal care was the fastest-growing category, with order volumes up nearly 75% year on year, driven by skincare and haircare products. Fashion continued to contribute a large share of orders, while electronics saw a decline of about 24% compared with last year’s sale period.

However, a key shift was in payments as for the first time during the Republic Day sale window, online payments accounted for more than half of all orders, outpacing cash on delivery, which has long dominated Indian e-commerce transactions. Shopping also moved earlier in the day with the highest number of orders being placed between before 10 am, replacing late-night hours as the peak shopping window.


“The data reflects a fundamental shift in Indian consumer behaviour,” said Chirag Taneja, co-founder and chief executive officer of GoKwik. “With online payments overtaking cash on delivery, we are seeing the Indian online shopper mature.”

Demand for Republic Day-themed products was strongest outside top metros as tricolour themed merchandise saw higher uptake in Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns, including parts of Assam, West Bengal and Odisha, the data showed.

GoKwik’s insights are from network data analyzing millions of orders across D2C brands, comparing the performance of the Republic Day sale period in 2026 against 2025.