As India ushered in 2026, quick-commerce platform Instamart witnessed a sharp spike in last-minute orders, fuelled by festive traditions, celebratory buying and the familiar New Year’s Eve rush.
In the days leading up to December 31, Instamart ran a playful reminder featuring a grape-costumed character, nudging users about the popular 12-grape midnight ritual. The prompt appeared to resonate strongly. On New Year’s Eve, Instamart, along with Phani Kishan Addepalli, co-founder of Swiggy, shared live insights into consumer behaviour on the platform. Data showed that searches for grapes began as early as 5 am, with nearly 235,000 searches recorded in the first half of the day alone. As evening celebrations gathered pace, grape searches surged 78 times, underscoring how even familiar traditions benefit from timely reminders amid busy festivities.
Classic New Year’s Eve Panic Buying
Beyond grapes, Instamart’s data reflected typical last-minute shopping patterns associated with New Year’s Eve. Searches and orders rose sharply across categories such as ice, snacks, mixers, beverages and other party essentials—items that are often difficult to stock in large quantities during peak celebration hours.
Tier-II and Tier-III Cities Join the Rush
While metro cities continued to account for a large share of demand, smaller towns also showed strong momentum. Cities such as Lonavla, Karimnagar, Saharanpur, Davanagere, Patiala and Meerut emerged as high-growth markets during the year-end rush. In Patiala, one customer placed an order exceeding 200 items in a single day, including 108 packs of Kurkure, while another customer purchased gold coins worth ₹6 lakh, pointing to the scale of celebratory buying beyond major metros.
Big-Ticket Orders Mark the Year’s End
High-value purchases featured prominently in the final hours of 2025. In Bengaluru, a single order worth ₹1.8 lakh included two iPhones, while another customer purchased protein supplements worth ₹41,000. In Mumbai, a user ordered gold worth ₹1.45 lakh as a New Year gift through Instamart, reflecting the growing role of quick commerce in last-minute gifting. Nearly one in nine New Year’s Eve orders on the platform was placed for friends or family, highlighting how the service is increasingly used for spontaneous gifting.
What Indians Ordered at Midnight
According to data shared by Phani Addepalli, the final hour before midnight saw steep category-wise spikes. Orders for grapes rose 15 times, cakes surged sevenfold, BBQ items increased six times, beverages grew 3.5 times, party glasses saw a 2.5-fold jump, pizza bases rose 1.8 times, and calendars and planners increased 1.5 times. Regional preferences were also evident, with skewers and coal trending in Pune and Kolkata, tonic water topping beverage orders nationwide, and card games seeing a threefold spike in searches as celebrations stretched late into the night.
Rewarding Loyalty
Instamart also highlighted its most loyal users during the year. One customer placed 4,548 orders over the course of 2025, including 15 orders on New Year’s Eve alone, earning the distinction of the platform’s MVP customer of the year.
Reflecting on the broader trend, Amitesh Jha, CEO of Instamart, said, “2025 was a defining year for Instamart and quick commerce in India. What began as Tier-1 convenience is becoming urban utility infrastructure, with strong growth from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. New Year’s Eve orders once again went beyond essentials, including party supplies, gifts, snacks, beverages, beauty and grooming, and even viral items like grapes. Quick commerce is moving from groceries and emergency top-ups to becoming part of daily life, from fresh produce to electronics and gold. As India steps into 2026, we expect quick commerce to grow further as a reliable, everyday app, powering spontaneous moments and planned needs alike.”
As the countdown to the New Year concluded, Instamart’s data painted a picture of evolving consumer behaviour—where tradition, gifting and convenience increasingly converge at the tap of a button.
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