The summer season in India is characterized by its intense heat and people seek refuge from the scorching temperatures in the cool shade of ancient monuments, bustling marketplaces, and serene lakes. It is a time of vivid colours and lively festivities, with traditional festivals. Despite the sweltering heat, the spirit of India shines through in the form of warm hospitality, mouth-watering summer delicacies, summer shopping and the joyous spirit of its people.
Nature paints the world with color, and the wardrobe switches from winter monotones to florals and neons, brightening the atmosphere. As mercury scales new heights by the day, consuming the right nutrients, staying fit and avoiding dehydration becomes imperative. India witnessed an early onset of summer this year, and it has been hotter than normal in some parts of the country. To tackle the scorching heat, customers took to e-commerce for all essentials, and Flipkart observed consumer trends across the country.
Health and Wellness
As heatwaves swathe the subcontinent, India prepares to beat the heat by maintaining internal well-being and overall health by incorporating necessary lifestyle changes. The culture of wellness instilled by the pandemic has brought health to the forefront, making it the core factor driving consumer choices. Hydration is the armor against the torrid winds, subsequently, the demand for fruit juices grew by more than 1.5x between February to March and over 1.6x growth was witnessed in the ‘fruit juices’ vertical year on year. An increase was recorded in the demand for water bottles, utility products; quirky designs with motivational quotes were launched to aid this demand.
Beauty and Skincare
Blazing gusts can take a toll on the skin, while SPF is proven to act as a shield to prevent it all. Increased awareness about sun damage ensured a two fold growth in demand for SPF- based compacts, foundations and perfumes. Age-old superficial formulations remained in the shade as skincare-infused formulations witnessed a significant demand. These multi-benefit products with new cooling ingredients like watermelon extract and other water and fruit-based actives recorded more than 1.4x growth in demand. While there was a 2x increase in demand for sunscreens, an unprecedented inclination towards oil-based sunscreens was also observed. Easy-to-re-apply solutions like spray sunscreens and powder sunscreens were introduced to the consumers.
Fashion
According to the rating agency ICRA, the domestic air passenger traffic for FY 2023 is predicted to reach the pre-pandemic levels seen in FY 2019. As the ‘revenge travel’ trend becomes routine in 2023, vacations call for OOTDs to be on point. This season, 250+ swimwear styles of are in vogue. Neons and floral prints are high on the wish lists, charting 40%+ growth in demand. Sunglasses and hats marked an uptick of 20% this season, while the travel accessories segment saw an uptick of 45% compared to last year, with Suitcases, Backpacks and Travel Organizers being the most bought products on the platform.
Increased awareness through social mediums and trendjacking drove demand in T2+ regions and 575 orders were placed every minute. Informed consumer choices and evolving consumer preferences have paved the way for newer niche brands to make their mark in the saturated cosmetics market. With D2C brands largely dominating the skin-care segment, 100+ homegrown brands expanded their portfolio on the platform.
As summer has just begun, Flipkart continues to provide the most expansive collection of products while offering great value on every purchase. In an endeavor to solve for consumer needs, the platform launched its summer store to enhance ease of discovery by making all summer essentials available under one tab.
