CAIT finds that general trade created 50 lakh temporary jobs in logistics, packaging, transport, and retail services: Reports
CHENNAI: Buoyed by strong consumer sentiment and GST rate cut, the festive month helped the general trade garner Rs 5.4 lakh crore sales of goods this year, registering a growth of 27 per cent over last year.
Based on the nation-wide survey across 60 major distribution centres, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) found that goods worth Rs 5.4 lakh crore were sold. This also includes grocery and FMCG sold during the period. According to CAIT, the festive season sales stood at Rs 4.25 lakh crore last year.
Of the total sales, grocery and FMCG accounted for 12 per cent. Gold and jewellery accounted for 10 per cent of the festive sales revenue, found CAIT. As per the data of All India Gems and Jewellery Federation, Dhanteras 2025 itself has garnered sales of Rs 50,000 crore despite the sales volumes dipping by 10–15 per cent compared to last year. The higher gold prices saw the sales value going up this year.
As per CAIT, electronics and electrical items accounted for 8 per cent of festive sales, consumer durables 7 per cent, garments 7 per cent, textiles and fabrics 4 per cent, gift items 7 per cent, home decor 5 per cent, furnishing and furniture 5 per cent, sweets and savouries 5 per cent, pooja articles 3 per cent and fruits and dry fruits 3 per cent.
Meanwhile, quick commerce platforms, including Zepto, Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart, emerged as the biggest growth driver during the Diwali festive season, recording a 120 per cent y-o-y jump in order volumes.
As per the data of RedSeer, the first 11 days of the 2025 e-commerce festive sales had clocked a massive more than Rs 60,000 crore gross merchandise value, which is nearly 3.5 times of business-as-usual (BAU) levels. This marked a 20-22 per cent year-on-year surge. About 90 million shoppers participated in the first 11 days with an average spend per shopper of close to Rs 7000. While the online festive season sales is not yet over, RedSeer anticipates Rs 1.15 lakh crore of online sales this festive month.
CAIT finds that general trade created 50 lakh temporary jobs in logistics, packaging, transport, and retail services. Rural and semi-urban India accounted for 28 per cent of total trade, confirming deeper economic participation beyond metros.
In the CAIT survey, trade also sought simplification of GST procedures, enhanced credit access for small traders and manufacturers. It also wants the government to develop logistics and warehousing hubs in tier II and III cities, promote low-MDR digital payments and improve market digitization as well as improve urban market infrastructure.
