Meesho to begin festive season sale from October 6

Softbank backed e-commerce firm Meesho said on Friday that it will begin its festive season sale on October 6, a day before Flipkart and Amazon festive sale goes live.

'Meesho Mega Blockbuster Sale' is the company's first festive sale where over 400 brands will sell their products either directly or through their authorised partner on the platform's digital store 'Meesho Mall'.

'The Meesho Mega Blockbuster Sale, beginning on October 6, aims to fulfil the festive shopping aspirations of billions of Indians,' Meesho, Chief Experience Officer, Growth, Megha Agwarwal, said in a statement.

The company claims to have onboarded 2 lakh new sellers for the festive season sale, which takes the total count to 14 lakh -- almost equal to the number of sellers as on e-commerce major Flipkart.

'With over 14 lakh sellers and 12 crore product listings across 30 categories, Meesho aims to ensure that customers across India have a plethora of affordable options to choose from this festive season,' the statement said.

Flipkart's nine-day annual festive season sale, The Big Billion Days (TBBD), goes live on October 8 and will provide early access to paid users a day earlier.

Flipkart's competitor Amazon India will also start its festive season sale 'Great Indian Festival' at the same time with early access to paid members.

Snapdeal has also announced the launch of the first sale of the festive season, 'Toofani Sale - Festive Dhamaka', from October 8-15.

Meesho said sellers registered on its platform are projected to hire over three lakh seasonal workers as part of their requirements for the festive season, who will assist them in manufacturing, packaging, and sorting.

The company said it is working closely with sellers to build capabilities such as demand forecasting and inventory management.

'Compared to last year, categories such as personal care and beauty, home and kitchen as well as electronic accessories are expected to grow about 100 per cent on a year-on-year basis,' the company said.

A recent report by the market research firm Redseer Strategy Consultants projects online sales during the upcoming festive season to grow 18-20 per cent and touch Rs 90,000 crore this year.