Brands
What India bought for Valentine’s Day: Flipkart report
Searches rise 1.26x as fashion, decor and beauty dominate Valentine’s Week
BENGALURU: Valentine’s Day in India is no longer a single-date affair. New data from Flipkart shows the occasion has stretched into a full-fledged shopping season, marked by higher searches, faster fulfilment and more expressive gifting.
Flipkart’s latest #FlipTrends report shows overall demand on the platform rose 1.42 times between 7 and 12 February, 2026, as Valentine’s Week gathered momentum. Search queries increased 1.26 times, while orders climbed 1.41 times, led by fashion, home decor and beauty categories. Cookies, biscuits, watches, stuffed toys and chocolates ranked among the most popular gifting choices.
Shopping patterns pointed to celebrations becoming increasingly home-led and personal. Demand for decor items such as showpieces, lights and artificial flowers rose 1.6 times, signalling a shift from grand gestures to curated experiences. As the week progressed, purchases tilted towards cakes, pastries and mugs, reflecting last-minute planning.
Quick commerce played a defining role. Flipkart Minutes recorded a 7 times year-on-year growth between 7 and 14 February, with 14 February seeing peak order activity. Order values surged between 9 and 10 am, followed by a second spike between 7 and 8 pm.
Discovery was driven by ‘RelationShop’, Flipkart’s in-app experience built around modern relationship stages, from ‘situationship’ to ‘moving on’. The ‘talking phase’ emerged as the most shopped segment, driving demand for earphones, late-night snacks, energy drinks, board games and chocolates.
Shoppers leaned heavily into playful and sentimental gifts. Chocolate orders doubled, while baby pillows jumped 21 times, stuffed toys rose 15 times, showpieces grew 14 times, women’s fashion rings climbed 14 per cent and greeting cards increased 13 per cent. Gen Z shoppers broadened the celebration to include Galentine’s Day, with perfumes, rings, necklaces and cards trending on 13 February.
Geographically, metros such as Kolkata and Hyderabad, along with Tier 1-plus cities including Ranchi, Siliguri, Ludhiana and Dehradun, emerged as strong markets for quick Valentine’s Week purchases.
Brands
ZEEL transfers syndication business, invests Rs 505 crore in IP push
Restructuring, stake buy and FCCB moves signal sharper content strategy
MUMBAI: In the content economy, owning the story is half the battle monetising it is the real game, and Zee Entertainment Enterprises is doubling down on both. The company has approved the transfer of its syndication and content licensing business to its wholly owned subsidiary ZI-IPR Enterprises, alongside an investment of Rs 505 crore aimed at strengthening its play in content intellectual property (IP) acquisition, management and monetisation. The move, effective April 1, 2026, will see the business transferred on a slump sale basis at book value, including all associated assets, liabilities and commercial rights effectively consolidating IP operations under a more focused structure.
At its core, the restructuring signals a strategic shift. As content consumption increasingly fragments across digital and global platforms, the value of IP lies not just in creation but in how efficiently it can be distributed, repackaged and monetised across markets. By housing its syndication engine within ZI-IPR Enterprises, ZEEL appears to be building a more agile and scalable ecosystem, one that can better extract value from its vast content library while adapting to evolving distribution models.
But the company’s ambitions are not limited to restructuring. ZEEL has also approved an investment of up to Rs 20.09 crore in Culture of Real Experiences (CORE), acquiring a 51 per cent stake in the entity. The move expands its footprint into the broader creative and experiential space, suggesting a push beyond traditional broadcasting into areas where content, culture and immersive experiences intersect.
At the same time, ZEEL has moved to tidy up its financials, approving the redemption of $23.9 million in outstanding foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs) and cancelling an unused $215.1 million commitment. The twin steps are expected to ease pressure on its treasury, freeing up capital and improving financial flexibility as the company invests more aggressively in its IP strategy.
Taken together, the decisions reflect a company in recalibration mode streamlining legacy structures, sharpening its focus on content ownership, and exploring new avenues for growth. In a market where the lines between television, streaming and experiential entertainment are increasingly blurred, ZEEL’s latest moves suggest it is not just creating content, but building a system to make that content travel further and pay better.
