Karwa Chauth is emerging as a shopping occasion beyond its traditional northern Indian markets. According to commerce growth platform GoKwik, sales across its network increased 64% year-on-year during the six days leading up to the festival.
The company recorded 3.19 million orders during the period, compared with 2 million orders in the corresponding period last year, representing a 60% increase.
GoKwik serves more than 15,000 direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands and provides services covering checkout, shipping, WhatsApp commerce and performance marketing.
Karwa Chauth Shopping Demand Rises Across Indian Regions
Although northern India remained the largest market for Karwa Chauth-related products, GoKwik reported rising demand across other regions.
Demand for products explicitly labelled for Karwa Chauth increased 3.4 times in central India, 2.7 times in western India, and 2.3 times in eastern and northeastern India. Southern India recorded growth of approximately 3%.
Northern India continued to lead, with demand for festival-labelled products reaching 3.9 times the previous year’s level. Its share of these orders also increased from 46% to 62%.
These figures indicate that while Karwa Chauth shopping is expanding geographically, northern India continues to account for the largest share of festival-related purchases.
Prepaid Orders Account for 60% of Festival Purchases
GoKwik’s data also points to a stronger preference for prepaid purchases among shoppers buying Karwa Chauth-specific products.
Prepaid transactions accounted for 60% of orders for products explicitly labelled for the festival, compared with 54% across the wider network.
Coupon usage also declined during the period. The share of Karwa Chauth purchases using coupons fell to 47.4% from 51.9%, suggesting that festival-related buying was less dependent on promotional offers.
Pooja Accessories, Jewellery and Ethnic Wear Drive Demand
Shopping activity was concentrated in categories associated with Karwa Chauth rituals and festive celebrations, including pooja accessories, jewellery, beauty products and ethnic wear.
In northern India, demand for pooja accessories reached 3.2 times the regular-week baseline. Mangalsutra and bridal jewellery demand increased to 2.35 times the baseline, while jewellery sets reached 2.27 times.
Demand for maang tikka more than doubled. Face makeup and ethnic wear also recorded increases of 76% and 73%, respectively.
Red and Maroon Regain Popularity in Festive Fashion
GoKwik’s analysis of colours in a subset of festive fashion purchases found a preference for red, maroon and magenta.
These richer shades are gaining prominence alongside pastel colours that have featured prominently in recent festive seasons. The trend highlights how colour preferences can influence product selection during occasion-based shopping.
GoKwik Sees Opportunity for More Occasion-Specific Collections
Despite the rise in shopping activity, only 37 merchants explicitly marketed products for Karwa Chauth on the network, according to GoKwik.
The company believes brands selling jewellery, beauty products and ethnic wear have an opportunity to develop dedicated festival collections and plan assortments according to regional purchasing patterns.
It also highlighted the importance of aligning inventory and fulfilment with local demand to serve shoppers across different markets.
What GoKwik’s Karwa Chauth Sales Data Reveals
The findings point to the growing importance of regional festivals as shopping occasions for India’s D2C market. While northern India remains the primary market for Karwa Chauth products, increasing demand across other regions suggests opportunities for brands to reach new customer groups.
GoKwik’s analysis covered overall network transactions during the six-day period, along with a separate subset of products explicitly labelled for Karwa Chauth. The company noted that year-on-year comparisons also reflect the expansion of its merchant network.
Leadership Comment
“Karwa Chauth’s commercial relevance extends beyond its traditional northern heartland. The occasion brings together ritual preparation, dressing and gifting, creating demand across several categories,” said Chirag Taneja, co-founder and chief executive officer of GoKwik.
“Growth across central, western and eastern India suggests brands have an opportunity to serve shoppers in more markets with collections that reflect regional preferences. The stronger prepaid preference among festival-labelled orders adds another dimension to how consumers are shopping for the occasion. Relevant products, timely availability and dependable delivery are central to serving an occasion where purchases need to arrive by a specific date,” he added.
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