Indians are known for their spirit of celebration and their grandeur and panache for weddings. It is a one of a kind occasion for every couple looking to make it larger than life and a day to remember. As pandemic posed restrictions, the industry transitioned into intimate wedding ceremonies. But the setback was short lived, the world’s largest wedding market bounced back in panache and is expected to reach $0.5 trillion over the next decade according to a report by matrimony.com.
A new wave of ‘wedtech’ weddings came into picture during the pandemic, revolutionizing the wedding planning process. Due to easy accessibility, wide selections and user friendly browsing, Flipkart witnessed a surge in wedding shoppers on the platform, making it the go-to destination for all their wedding needs. As the season of pheras and vows begins, Flipkart Fashion has marked an year-on-year increase of 31.6% for wedding related attire category and an uptick of 29.3% growth in unit terms. The most preferred colors this season are gold, black and pink.
To add to the ongoing festive cheer, Flipkart has introduced ‘#HarOccasionKaFashion’ to display the great selection offered on the platform at great value. In this campaign, popular TV celebrities like Hina Khan and Surbhi Jyoti can be seen browsing through the selection and adorning their favorite pieces from Flipkart Fashion in minute-long videos. The celebrities inspire consumers to glam up for a wedding selfie marathon with the tagline “Wedding selfies for all your functions with all your favorite baratis”.
What women prefer:
For wedding trousseau shopping, the 25-35-year-old age group women shoppers comprise the majority, scouting through the wide portfolio of products with Sequins, embroidery, bandhani, gota patti, banarasi and kanjivaram being the most sought after products. Flipkart has a wide wedding selection from local sellers and brands like Laxmipati Sarees, Subhash Sarees, SUTA, Karagiri, Charukriti, House of Begum to name a few.
As everyone looks for hassle-free outfits, the platform observed an affinity towards ready to wear celebration apparels as compared to the dress materials. However, the share of branded apparel in the wedding fashion segment stays at 15%-20%, leaving a wide window for local sellers who reported a great increase in demand.
With the growing significance of the ‘bridal look’ coupled with the virtual try on feature on Flipkart, brides can effortlessly source their makeup, hair tools, manicure and pedicure kits etc. to create their desired look. Flipkart has also recently observed an uptick of organic and cruelty free beauty preferences emerge among customers. Along with this, the maximum traction during the wedding season has been observed in fast moving makeup verticals such as kajal, eyeliner etc.
What men prefer:
Men between the age group of 28-35 prefer a mix of solids and prints. Along with brands like Manyavar, Peter England, Fabindia and Ethnix by Raymond, local brands such as Jompers, Deyann, Vastramay, See Designs, FUBAR, Armaan Ethnic and Prakasam Cotton saw an upsurge in demand.
Jacquard Kurtas, Ethnic sets coupled with solid and printed dhotis, Embroidered kurta jackets, solid shirts coupled with blazers comprised the major looks across the season. Trendy assortments in kurtas like Asymmetric / A-Line, Chikankari, Jaipuri prints, mirror work, and deity prints continue to see traction.
Occasion specific buying behavior such as an inclination towards shades of yellow for “haldi ceremony”, pathani suits during Eid and hues of orange and red during Durga Puja have picked up over the last year. With the growing momentum of ‘wedding ready grooming’, grooms can easily source manicure and pedicure kits, scrubs, beauty and hair tools etc. on Flipkart to amp up their look.
Flipkart is redefining wedding shopping and gifting for every occasion by enhancing accessibility to hundred percent pincodes pan India. Cities like Lucknow topped the charts in sales for traditional wear, followed closely by Cuttack and Gurugram.
Abhishek Maloo, Senior Director, Flipkart Fashion said, “The wedding fashion is fast evolving and so are the consumer preferences across the country. Being one of India’s biggest fashion destinations, our endeavor is to serve customers from across the country by creating accessibility for every customer and allowing them to shop for their favorite brands and styles. We are bringing a vast selection with lakhs of style to choose from, served by lakhs of sellers and thousands of brands for Indian consumers as they witness a full scale wedding season, as pandemic wanes off.”
Rakesh Kumar Sarawagi, Director of well known saree brand, Laxmipati Group said “We started our e-commerce journey with Flipkart in June 2022. Having been in the saree business for years, we have a widespread consumer base across India. Flipkart has not only helped us enhance our visibility but also allowed us to reach the deepest corners of the country. The growth we have witnessed on the platform is tremendous, our business on Flipkart has grown 3X in the last three months and expect an even bigger splash for the upcoming wedding season.”
Flipkart, India’s homegrown ecommerce marketplace, is one of the driving forces in expanding this consumer base and lies at the center of the growth facilitating first-time shoppers to shop online. Flipkart Fashion currently has lakhs of sellers on board offering a range of selection across categories, making it the preferred destination offering extravagance with ease.
In keeping up with the evolving customer palette, as India’s Fashion Capital, Flipkart is committed to bringing in the widest range and latest trends of wedding wear for its growing customer base.