Flipkart is seeing its consumables and general merchandise business emerge as a faster-growing pillar alongside its traditionally strong electronics portfolio, driven by value-led assortments, rising Tier-2 demand, and sharper seller-focused interventions.

The Walmart-owned e-commerce company has recorded close to 1.5X year-on-year growth between FY24 and FY25 across health, fitness, and personal care categories in 2025. Categories such as baby care, wellness, books, and household supplies have gained momentum, helped by regional fulfilment, tech-led discovery and assortments tailored to local demand. 

“Overall, both consumables and general merchandise are doing significantly well. FMCG particularly is doing very well, with beauty and personal care leading the growth,” said Nishant Dalal, senior director and head of BGM (Beauty, FMCG and Healthcare) at Flipkart, adding that Flipkart has also seen a scale-up in categories like toys, aided by the expansion of domestic manufacturing under the Make in India push.

Rise of value-led consumption

Beauty and personal care have been a key focus area over the past year, with Flipkart investing in brand awareness, influencer-led discovery and simplifying the cost structure for sellers. “We’ve emerged very strongly as a beauty player over the past few years,” Dalal said. Initiatives such as influencer-led events and easier onboarding for brands have helped expand both branded and unbranded selections on the platform.

Male grooming, while still a smaller part of the market, is gaining traction online. Dalal said male grooming accounts for roughly 10–20% of the overall grooming category, with demand skewed towards functional needs such as oil control, cooling effects, and acne management. “Those are places where you start seeing differentiation being very prominent, and they are very heavily male-skewed categories,” he said.

Health and wellness are another fast-growing segment, driven by both Gen Z and older consumers. While younger shoppers are driving demand for new protein formats such as nutrition bars, protein muesli and protein breads, older consumers are leaning towards preventive healthcare. “You see a lot of consumption of multivitamins, minerals like magnesium and supplements like glutathione now,” Dalal shared.

Tier-2 and seller-first strategy

At the same time, growth doesn't seem limited to metros. Tier-2 and smaller cities are catching up faster than before, with trends now travelling from metros to non-metros within months rather than years. Flipkart is also seeing increased traction from Tier-2+ consumers in categories such as pet care, toys, musical instruments, and books. Over 20% of transactions during the festive season (September–October 2025) came from first-time buyers, pointing to continued e-commerce adoption beyond large cities.

Value remains central to consumption patterns. More than 30% of products sold on Flipkart are priced under ₹200, with rising demand for combo packs and bulk-size units. “Price-consciousness still drives adoption,” Dalal said, even as consumers increasingly look for better value and trusted recommendations.

On the supply side, Flipkart has introduced a zero-commission model to support seller growth, particularly for MSMEs. Return handling has been made cheaper and simpler, and multiple costs have been unified on seller dashboards to improve transparency. “This has further simplified and enhanced ease of doing business,” Dalal said.

With gifting-led demand during weddings, festivals and the year-end season, Flipkart expects strong momentum across beauty, health, fitness, and toys to continue, even as consumables and general merchandise grow faster than some of its more mature categories.