Black Friday sales surge in India as brands use the event to clear inventory
Black Friday sales are gaining popularity in India, bridging the gap between Diwali and winter sales. Retailers offer significant discounts, driven by online platforms and increased consumer awareness
New Delhi: Black Friday—a major shopping phenomenon in the West—is fast turning into a key sales window in India, reshaping how brands manage inventory and pricing.
Brands are increasingly using Black Friday to push discounted inventory during the typically quiet period after Diwali and before winter sales begin in late December, and luring shoppers with attractive offers.
“The Indian consumer always likes great prices. It’s a good way for brands to liquidate what they need to before end-of-season sales. Discounts do drive more traffic, better conversions, and larger ticket sizes," said Vineet Gautam, former chief executive officer (CEO) and country head of Bestseller India, which operates Vero Moda, Jack & Jones, and Only.
“We’ve really seen it pick up in the last two to three years. The collective might of all retailers, both international and Indian, has helped," Gautam said.
Online platforms are pushing it in a big way, with more retailers—both large and small—now leveraging it to liquidate older stock. Brands across various categories, including electronics, fashion, beauty and lifestyle, are offering promotions.
The event, which falls on 28 November this year, is also followed by Cyber Monday—another shopping event. Gautam estimates that India now sees close to 100 sales days a year.
“Earlier, Cyber Monday wasn’t even a thing here; now we expect strong numbers as platforms invest heavily in curating these events," he said.
Black Friday is among the most popular shopping occasions in the US, traditionally falling on the Friday after Thanksgiving. The shopping period emerged in the 1950s and 60s, when retailers began offering major discounts to kick off the holiday shopping season.
Brands cash in
For online commerce platform Tata CLiQ, Black Friday is its biggest annual sale event. “We usually see our daily run rate surge to 3–4x compared to regular days. This year, we expect strong double-digit growth over last year’s event," said Gopal Asthana, CEO, Tata CLiQ.
Winter wear, Western fashion, accessories, watches and beauty products are likely to drive demand. Brands typically offer 50–85% off on Tata CLiQ Fashion, up to 60% off on Tata CLiQ Palette, and up to 50% off on Tata CLiQ Luxury.
Online beauty retailer Nykaa's flagship the ‘Pink Friday Sale’ went live on 20 November backed by a campaign featuring Deepika Padukone, Nykaa’s brand ambassador. The retailer offers deals across 1,800 brands.
While this year’s sale is still ongoing, last year the retailer said the sale occasion delivered a growth of 36% year-over-year in gross merchandise value (GMV) terms.
“We got over 86 million visits to the app across the 10-day period of the sale. Customer growth was strong at 55%. And we had a very strong conversion in terms of order conversion at over 4%," Anchit Nayar, executive director and CEO, beauty, FSN E-Commerce Ventures Ltd (Nykaa), told analysts during the company's December quarter earnings call.
Flipkart-backed Myntra said over the years, the online fashion retailer has seen a 25% year-on-year increase in demand, driven significantly by shoppers from tier 2 and 3 cities.
Black Friday on Myntra is amplified by the strong participation of leading D2C and global brands, bringing thousands of styles and offers to shoppers, said a spokesperson at the retailer. Myntra’s flagship sales event is the bi-annual ‘End of Reason Sale’.
Meanwhile, electronics retailer Croma is offering up to 50% off across categories from smartphones and laptops to TVs, washing machines, audio gear, and home appliances. “Black Friday is now one of India’s most awaited shopping weeks, and this year we have focused on meaningful price drops and easy payment options," said a spokesperson from Infiniti Retail Ltd, which operated Croma.
What began as a largely online event for platforms has now prompted offline retailers to increase the number of sales days in a year as well.
“Traditionally, categories like electronics and beauty used to take the lead, but now we’re witnessing a wider acceptance across segments like fast-fashion, accessories etc as well," said Nishank Joshi, chief marketing officer, Nexus Select Malls.
He expects brand participation to exceed last year’s numbers. Black Friday has effectively become a nationwide event, with retailers expecting strong double-digit growth in sales and footfalls across the Black Friday weekend, he said.
India’s $1.06 trillion retail sector is projected to reach $1.93 trillion by 2030, according to 2025 estimates by consulting firm Deloitte. The market is set to grow at a CAGR of 10% driven by greater demand for goods online.
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