Great Indian Festival Sale: Amazon enables sellers to pass on GST benefits of over Rs 100 crore

Bengaluru: Ecommerce firm Amazon said on Tuesday that as part of the ongoing Amazon Great Indian Festival, the Great Savings Celebration #GSTBachatUtsav storefront enabled sellers to pass on over Rs 100 crore in GST savings across appliances, fashion, everyday essentials and other applicable categories.

It also said that 40 per cent of all customer orders on the first day of Amazon Great Indian Festival were delivered the same or the next day.

"As part of our commitment to supporting sellers and helping them stay compliant with government reforms, we enabled a smooth transition to the new GST rates starting September 22. Through tools, automatic updation of tax codes, masterclasses on the changes and more, we empowered lakhs of sellers to conveniently implement GST benefits for customers," said Saurabh Srivastava, Vice President, Amazon India.

"In the first few days of the Amazon Great Indian Festival, we have enabled sellers to pass on savings of over Rs 100 crore in GST benefits to customers," he added.

The firm said that the recent GST reductions played a pivotal role in shaping customer demand across categories this festive season. Customers upgraded to big-ticket appliances with air conditioners growing at double digits year-over-year, while inverter batteries surged 2X and dishwashers grew by 120 per cent.

Kitchen appliances saw a 50 per cent jump in eco-friendly units. Everyday essentials reflected the impact of GST savings with beverages, oils, and cereals growing over 100 per cent vs BAU (Business As Usual), while high-protein foods and spreads from D2C brands surged over 150 per cent.

It said whey protein sales rose 180 per cent vs BAU, vitamins & supplements increased 250 per cent vs BAU, and tier 2+ customers contributed to a 1.5X spike in demand.

Family care categories also benefited, with diapers growing 160 per cent vs BAU after the GST rate cut from 12 per cent to 5 per cent and premium baby skin care increasing 150 per cent vs BAU as parents sought toxin-free, dermatologically tested formulations.

During this ongoing festive sale, laptops and smart home products saw unprecedented demand, the iPad Air M3 surged 300X, MacBook Air M4 performed at 150X, Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 saw a 430X surge, while the Sony S20R Dolby Home Theatre sold at 196X. While lab diamonds surged 10X YoY, Korean beauty grew 327 per cent YoY, premium luggage categories rose 94 per cent YoY, and apparel from brands like CK Jeans (+7X) and Gap (+3X) drove a 2.5X spike.

Also, premium fruits such as berries and avocados grew 3X and 2X, respectively, while nuts surged 21X. Home fitness continued to expand, with treadmills growing at 66 per cent YoY. Over 65 per cent of Amazon Bazaar shoppers came from tier 2 and beyond, with new customers increasing 10X and daily shoppers growing 500 per cent vs average.

The Great Indian Festival saw strong customer preference for connected home entertainment experiences and smart home solutions. In the first 48 hours, Fire TV built-in smart TVs emerged as top-sellers, with Xiaomi's 55-inch QLED Fire TV at the No.1 position in the 55-inch TV category and the Xiaomi 32-inch Fire TV securing the No. 2 spot among 32-inch TVs on Amazon.in.