Photos: E-commerce companies launch massive sales to woo shoppers

E-commerce giants Amazon and Walmart-backed Flipkart kicked off a crucial battle for shoppers on Sunday ahead of the festive season as retailers search for a much-needed boost to sales amid a slowing economy. October and November -- when much of the country’s 1.3 billion population celebrates several major Hindu festivals and consumers traditionally go on spending sprees -- are critical for retailers, with some raking in almost half of their annual sales during the period. But sales this year have been hit by falling consumer demand as a liquidity crunch crimps personal loans and unemployment soars to its highest level since the 1970s. ...read more

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Updated on Oct 01, 2019 09:48 AM IST

A vendor arranges sarees inside at a shop ahead of upcoming Hindu 'Dushhera-Vijaya Dashami' festival, marking the end of 'Durga Puja' that honours goddess Durga's victory, in Hyderabad, Telangana. E-commerce giants Amazon and Walmart-backed Flipkart kicked off a crucial battle for shoppers on Sunday ahead of the festive season as retailers search for a much-needed boost to sales in a slowing economy. (Noah Seelam / AFP)

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Updated on Oct 01, 2019 09:48 AM IST

Vendors make garlands at a flowers shop ahead of the festive season. October and November -- when much of the country’s 1.3 billion population celebrates several major festivals and consumers traditionally go on spending sprees -- are critical for retailers, with some raking in almost half of their annual sales during the period. (Noah Seelam / AFP)

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Updated on Oct 01, 2019 09:48 AM IST

However, sales this year have been hit by falling consumer demand as a liquidity crunch crimps personal loans and unemployment soars to its highest level since the 1970s. Less than five percent of India’s $600 billion retail market is online, but the sector is expected to expand to 8-9 percent of the market by 2022 thanks to smartphone adoption and a rising middle class, according to RBC Capital Markets. (Noah Seelam / AFP)

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Updated on Oct 01, 2019 09:48 AM IST

Amazon -- which recently opened a massive campus for 15,000 employees in the southern city of Hyderabad -- has taken out full-page newspaper ads to promote its “Big Indian Festival” sales and is offering discounts of up to 90 percent. (Dhiraj Singh / Bloomberg)

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Updated on Oct 01, 2019 09:48 AM IST

Flipkart has Indian mega-star cricket Virat Kohli as the face of their “Big Billion Days” sales campaign and has slashed prices on fashion items and home appliances. The two platforms -- which have almost 75 percent market share of the e-commerce market -- hope to attract cash-strapped shoppers with financing options, and have hired hundreds of thousands of temporary staff to cope with expected increased demand. (Noah Seelam / AFP)

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Updated on Oct 01, 2019 09:48 AM IST

Customers stand out of a shopping mall which is decorated for the upcoming festive season, in Hyderabad. Amazon and Flipkart’s six-day festive sales are estimated to reach $3.8 billion, up from $2.9 billion last year, despite the wider economic slowdown, Forrester Research senior forecast analyst Satish Meena said. (Noah Seelam / AFP)

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Updated on Oct 01, 2019 09:48 AM IST

A vendor carries a mannequin outside a readymade sales shop. Economists are saying that a raft of recent government measures to revive the flagging economy, including a corporate tax cut, would improve sentiment in coming years. (Noah Seelam / AFP)

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Updated on Oct 01, 2019 09:48 AM IST

A customer walks inside a two-wheeler sales shop as special sales offer posters are displayed for the upcoming festive season, in Hyderabad. “It’s a good beginning... The likelihood is that we’ve almost reached the bottom and if the government continues to do its bit and corporates remain upbeat because of these announcements, things will start looking up,” India Ratings principal economist Sunil Sinha said. (Noah Seelam / AFP)