India’s e-commerce boom shows no sign of slowing, says Admitad

MUMBAI: India’s e-commerce engine has shifted up another gear. Online order volumes climbed 16 per cent year on year between January and May 2026, while gross merchandise value raced ahead even faster, up 18 per cent, according to fresh analysis from Admitad, a partner marketing platform that crunched more than 3 million online orders placed between 2025 and 2026.

The gap between those two numbers tells its own story. Indians are not just shopping online more often, they are spending more each time they do. The average order value climbed from $32 to $35, while purchases made via mobile phones rose from 45 per cent to 49 per cent, meaning almost half of all online orders in the country now happen on a phone screen.

Fashion and home goods sit firmly atop the shopping list. Fashion leads with 24 per cent of all transactions, followed by home goods at 21 per cent and electronics at 16 per cent. Beauty and self-care, along with toys and hobbies, each account for 7 per cent, while automobiles, parts and accessories take 5 per cent and sports and entertainment trail at 4 per cent. Marketplaces dominate the landscape too, hosting more than 71 per cent of all transactions, underlining their grip as the channel of choice for Indian shoppers.

Travel has quietly muscled its way into the mix, contributing more than 6 per cent of total purchases through flights, hotel bookings and car rentals, while online services, spanning education, ticketing, mobile services and more, account for over 7 per cent.

Growth, though, was sharpest elsewhere. Mobile services rocketed 35 per cent year on year, the fastest growing category by far, fuelled by surging smartphone use and a swelling base of mobile first internet users. Furniture and home furnishings followed with 19 per cent growth, while electronics sales grew 18 per cent.

What is really reshaping the game, though, is how Indians are being persuaded to buy in the first place. Content, articles, videos, reviews and comparison pieces published across websites and online media, now drives more than 20 per cent of all online purchases, proof that content has graduated from marketing add-on to a legitimate sales channel in its own right. More than 11 per cent of customers say they bought after being swayed by content creators or social media communities, while affiliate stores, the curated deal aggregating sites that bundle products into feeds, pulled in 22 per cent of customers, making them one of the single most powerful conversion points in the entire purchase journey.

Cold hard incentives still carry weight too. Cashback offers swayed 15 per cent of buying decisions, promo codes and coupons influenced a further 10 per cent, and in-app advertisements accounted for more than 8 per cent of sales, a reminder that India’s shopping habits remain stubbornly mobile first.

Neha Kulwal, managing director at APAC MITGO, said affiliate marketing is gaining real traction as a growth platform for brands in India, noting that the share of brands folding it into their customer acquisition strategy rose 7 per cent in 2026, a clear sign that performance driven marketing is delivering results that are both predictable and provable.

Publishers are cashing in on the boom too, with their revenue climbing 15 per cent between January and May 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier.

With mobiles, marketplaces, content and cashback all pulling in the same direction, India’s online shopping juggernaut shows no sign of slowing, and for brands still sitting on the fence about affiliate and content driven marketing, the numbers are making the decision for them.