21 May, Mumbai 2025
In the past one year alone, over 6 million customers purchased ethnic wear from Flipkart, India's leading e-commerce marketplace. Notably, nearly 90 per cent of these sales came from repeat buyers.
Almost half of these ethnic wear customers on Flipkart were aged between 25 and 35 years old. Most of this demand was driven by major urban centers including Bengaluru, New Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Patna, Lucknow, Chennai, Pune, Mumbai, and Guwahati.
Within the ethnic wear segment, women's purchases account for roughly 65 per cent of the total, primarily driven by female shoppers. Conversely, male shoppers drive 88 per cent of transactions in men's ethnic wear. This category is also experiencing substantial growth in smaller towns and Tier III cities, which now contribute to 55 per cent of the total shopper volume.
Ethnic fashion has become a key entry point for new shoppers, especially from Tier II and Tier III cities, where traditional style needs meet the convenience of online shopping, states Kunal Gupta, Vice President, Flipkart Fashion. This segment is not only driving a significant share of new customer acquisition but also reflecting the deep cultural preferences of our diverse consumer base, he adds.
Customers primarily purchase ethnic wear for daily use, work, college, festivals, and weddings. Peak sales periods align with festive months from August-November and wedding seasons from November-February and April-May. Artisan-led brands like Konark, Shishir, and Wreetika, along with national labels such as Libas, Indo Era, Janasya, and Mirchi Fashion, are performing strongly on the platform, bringing traditional styles into the modern retail spotlight.
Across ethnic wear categories, kurta sets lead the demand, accounting for 42 per cent of total sales, followed by sarees at 24 per cent, and kurtis at 18 per cent.
Established in 2007, Flipkart boasts a registered user base exceeding 500 million and offers over 150 million products across 80 categories. Currently, the platform hosts over 1.4 million sellers, including those from its Shopsy platform.
