For the new generation, 'auspicious' is a year-round period
young Indians increasingly choose to disregard traditional religious practices connected to Shradh, Shravan or Navratri such as not buying high-ticket items, abstaining from consuming liquor and non-vegetarian food.
Amazon and Flipkart launched their biggest festive season discounting sales during Shradh despite the inauspicious nature of the period. Brands and sellers across categories like electronics and smartphones, fashion, FMCG and general merchandise have reported 20-30% growth in sales over last year's same sale period.
For instance, there has been record sales of TVs due to the cricket World Cup, as well as smartphones, which has boosted overall e-commerce business by 20-25% during Shradh.
Also, there has been no decline or at best, a marginal dip in consumption of alcohol and non-veg food during Shradh and Navratri unlike earlier, when such days saw a V-shaped fall, companies said. Counterpoint Research on Friday said sales of smartphones in the first week of online festive sales grew 8% by volume and 25% by value compared to a similar period last year.
'Lines have blurred'
For the first time ever, sales of premium smartphones almost doubled, while iPhone sales crossed 1.5 million units during the first week of festive sales, it said.
«Today, youth are neutral about traditional and cultural values and are either oblivious of the fact or do not follow these rituals strictly compared to the earlier generation.
