New Year’s Eve: From iPhones, gold coins to grapes, sales surge on quick commerce platforms

It was business as usual, say delivery platforms amidst gig workers’ strike

Bengaluru: A Bengaluru shopper picked up two iPhones for Rs 1.8 lakh and nearly one in 9 New Year Eve orders were placed for friends and family.

Swiggy's quick commerce platform Instamart saw 15x demand for grapes and 7x for cakes. The platform's co-founder Phani Kishan said a Mumbai user received gold worth Rs 1.45 lakh from a loved one.

Unaffected by calls for strikes, Zomato and Blinkit witnessed a huge demand on New Year’s Eve as they delivered 75 lakh orders.

Earlier there was a call for a strike by gig workers on New Year’s Eve, but major delivery platforms said it was business as usual for them.

Eternal (the parent company of Zomato) Founder Deepinder Goyal said that support from local law enforcement helped keep the small number of miscreants in check, enabling 4.5 lakh+ delivery partners across both platforms to deliver more than 75 lakh orders (all-time high) to over 63 lakh customers during the day.

He shared on X that this happened without any additional incentives for delivery partners - NYE does see higher incentives than usual days and yesterday was no different than the past NYE days.

He thanked delivery partners and said they showed up despite intimidation, stood their ground, and chose honest work and progress. “One thought for everyone: if a system were fundamentally unfair, it would not consistently attract and retain so many people who choose to work within it. Please don’t get swept up by narratives pushed by vested interests. The gig economy is one of India’s largest organised job creation engines, and its real impact will compound over time, when delivery partners’ children, supported by stable incomes and education, enter the workforce and help transform our country at scale,” he shared on X.

From grapes, ice, snacks to gold coins, users ordered all items on New Year's eve on Instagram.

"Someone in Bengaluru ordered protein powder worth Rs 41,000," Instamart posted on X.

"2025 was a defining year for Instamart and for Quick Commerce in India. As we head into New Year’s Eve, we are seeing strong momentum nationwide. What began as a Tier-1 convenience is becoming urban utility infrastructure, with strong growth coming from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. New Year's Eve once again surprises us with orders beyond essentials as Indian consumers turn to quick commerce platforms for every kind of need," Instamart CEO Amitesh Jha said.

Categories such as party supplies, gifting essentials, snacks and beverages, beauty, personal care, and grooming, and viral items such as grapes are seeing high growth on the platform.

"This year, we saw Quick Commerce move beyond groceries and emergency top-ups to become part of daily life. From milk and fresh produce to electronics, gifting, and even gold, consumers ordered it all from Quick Commerce. This shift reinforces our belief that reliability, selection, and trust will continue to shape how India shops," Jha said.

Swiggy Chief Executive Officer - Food MarketPlace Rohit Kapoor said Bolt orders are moving fast. "Four users from Nadiad and Halol ordered food worth a total of Rs 50,472 via Bolt," he shared on X.

Bolt provides restaurant food delivery in 10 minutes. Cakes, pizzas and biryanis were some of the top trending food items on Swiggy. Biryani reigned supreme, clocking 218,993 orders before the clock even struck 7:30 pm. As the night intensified, the momentum hit a fever pitch, peaking at an incredible 1,336 biryani orders per minute just before 8:00 pm," Swiggy said.

Also, food delivery platforms said the popular food to start 2026 was pizza as orders surged across the country.