Tier 2 and 3 India takes the lead as Flipkart fulfils 7.3 million shipments in a single day

Flipkart’s supply chain clocked a sharp jump in scale and speed during the 2025 festive season. The company said festive demand led to a 24% year-on-year rise in units shipped, with more than 60% of Big Billion Days (BBD) orders coming from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Goes to show how logistics has become a central driver of India’s e-commerce growth, especially beyond the metros.

At peak, Flipkart moved over 5,000 shipments every minute, fulfilling more than 7.3 million shipments in a single day - roughly over 3 lakh orders an hour. The surge also pushed a 44% increase in same-day and next-day deliveries compared to last year.

This festive scale-up had a direct employment impact. Flipkart created over 4 lakh seasonal job opportunities across 28 states to support its operations, with 15% of these roles taken up by first-time entrants to the workforce. The company also reported a 20% increase in hiring from women, persons with disabilities and LGBTQIA+ communities, alongside expanded wellness benefits and insurance coverage for associates.

Demand growth was most visible in non-metro India. Tier 2 and 3 cities accounted for over three-fifths of total festive orders, with places such as Jhajjar in Haryana and Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh seeing exponential growth. Categories like small furniture and household supplies recorded up to 90% growth in non-metro markets.

Hemant Badri, senior vice president and head of supply chain, customer experience and re-commerce at Flipkart Group, said the festive season tested the company’s ability to scale reliably. “The festive season is a true test of resilience, scale and precision. From delivering large appliances in minutes to reaching remote corners of the country, our network was built to meet the moment. What stands out this year is not just volume and speed, but the impact in jobs, regional access and inclusive hiring,” he said.

Behind this expansion was a heavy push on automation and data-led planning. Flipkart said it relied on AI-powered forecasting, machine-learning-driven demand planning and real-time capacity orchestration to manage festive surges. Automated inventory placement and inter-warehouse inventory transfers helped improve product availability, while fulfilment centres deployed automated guided vehicles, robotic arms and cross-belt sorters to cut turnaround times. The network currently reaches over 21,000 pincodes across India.

Training and upskilling were another focus area during the festive ramp-up. Through its Supply Chain Operations Academy, Flipkart trained more than 10,000 associates in warehouse operations, safety and technology tools. Separately, over 6,000 college students were trained in supply chain management through hybrid learning programmes.