India : GoKwik, an e-commerce enabler that helps direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands reduce delivery returns and simplify checkout, has leveraged its network intelligence of 220M+ shoppers to clear places where brands can convert and keep more of their demand as the 2026 festive season begins.
Cash-on-delivery (COD) accounted for about half of festive orders on GoKwik’s network in 2025. Those COD orders also made up nearly nine in every ten rupees of shipment value that returned undelivered. The finding comes from GoKwik’s analysis of 18 crore orders placed between September 22 and November 5, 2025.
“Festive is when brands have the most to gain. Across 18 crore orders, we’ve seen that brands which plan payment mix, bundling and pincode strategy before the sale goes live convert and keep far more of the demand they create. A pet brand doing 3,000 orders a month and a fashion label doing 50,000 need very different playbooks. The data gives each of them a clear place to start,” said Chirag Taneja, Co-founder and CEO, GoKwik.
Payment mix is another area the report helps brands examine. COD accounted for about half of festive orders on GoKwik’s network in 2025, but nearly nine in every ten rupees of shipment value returned undelivered. The findings provide a reference for brands evaluating prepaid and partial-prepaid options alongside their customers’ payment preferences.
The analysis also found differences by basket size. Among COD orders, baskets containing three or four items recorded return-to-origin rates about a quarter lower than single-item baskets. Return-to-origin refers to shipments returned to sellers without reaching customers. The observed difference gives brands a basis for reviewing bundle offers against their own delivery performance.
Demand also ran deep into smaller towns. Tier-3 locations contributed about 43% of festive orders in the historical dataset, highlighting their importance to demand. Brands can use the report’s broader benchmarks alongside their own pincode-level delivery records when planning how to serve these customers.
Customer retention is another focus. The top 10% of shoppers accounted for 38–55% of category gross merchandise value, a measure of the value of goods ordered. The report recommends considering retention and prepaid offers for high-value customers alongside festive acquisition. Identifying those customers requires each brand’s own purchase records.
Recommendations vary by category, including electronics, beauty and personal care, home and living, fashion, and food and beverages. These differences allow merchants to assess opportunities against a more relevant benchmark than a single network-wide average.
The findings cover orders placed on the GoKwik network from September 22 to November 5, 2025, and are aggregated at category level. They are intended as a reference for festive 2026 planning, and actual results will depend on each brand’s execution and customer behaviour.
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