e-commerce
Tata Digital acquires majority stake in Bigbasket
New Delhi: Tata Digital Ltd announced on Friday that it has acquired a majority stake in the online grocery platform Bigbasket.
Tata Digital is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Tata Sons. With this deal, one of India’s largest conglomerates has entered into direct competition with Flipkart, Amazon, and Reliance Industries which have continued to bolster their presence in the country’s fast-growing e-commerce space.
“Grocery is one of the largest components of an individual’s consumption basket in India, and Bigbasket as India’s largest e-grocery player fits in perfectly with our vision of creating a large consumer digital ecosystem. We are delighted to welcome Bigbasket as a part of Tata Digital,” said Tata Digital CEO Pratik Pal in a statement on Friday.
Exact details about the deal were not disclosed. But according to some media reports, the deal is worth about Rs 9,500 crore.
E-grocery has been one of the fastest-growing sectors in the consumer e-commerce space. Its growth has been further propelled by the country’s rising consumption and digital penetration, especially in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic which led consumers to increasingly opt for safer deliveries of groceries at home.
“We are extremely excited about our future as a part of Tata Group. As a part of the Tata ecosystem we would be able to build stronger consumer connect and accelerate our journey,” said Bigbasket CEO Hari Menon. Founded in 2011, the Bangalore-based company has now expanded its presence to over 25 cities.
Meanwhile, the Tata Group is now building a digital consumer ecosystem addressing consumer needs across categories in a unified manner. Online food and grocery is an important part of this ecosystem. The acquisition presents an attractive opportunity for the group in its overall vision of creating a digital ecosystem, it said in a statement on Friday.
e-commerce
Giant water gun truck rolls through Gurgaon for Holi
Instamart’s oversized blaster stunt sparks viral buzz ahead of festival; premium guns see rising demand.
MUMBAI: Gurgaon just got Holi’d early because when a truck carries a water gun the size of a small car, the only thing getting soaked is everyone’s attention. A massive, larger-than-life water blaster mounted on an Instamart truck turned heads and triggered phone cameras across parts of Gurgaon this week. The eye-catching installation, part of the quick-commerce platform’s festive build-up to Holi, mirrors the premium water guns available on its app and quickly went viral on Instagram and X, racking up millions of views in under 24 hours.
Commuters slowed to gawk, children pointed excitedly from pavements, and social media lit up with reactions. One user posted, “Gurgaon seriously isn’t for beginners. I spotted an Instamart truck carrying a massive water gun. It was like a pichkari that decided to go 10x for Holi.” Another wrote: “Every festival now comes with its own ‘Did you see this?’ moment. Today’s one for me was a giant water gun on a truck.”
The stunt taps into a noticeable shift in Holi shopping habits. What used to be a last-minute grab for basic plastic squirters has evolved into planned purchases of high-performance blasters and premium festive items. Instamart reports strong demand this season for brands like Spyra water blasters, NERF Super Soakers, Police Gatlin Single-Barrel Water Guns, and Toyshine Electric Water Guns, alongside edible gulaal, natural colours, UV colours, phool gulal, organic options, body paints, aftercare products, sweets, flowers, and curated colour hampers.
Last Holi, the platform saw a 5x spike in flower sales year-on-year and rising interest in premium assortments. This year’s festive range positions Instamart as a one-stop destination for experiential Holi prep, with the giant blaster stunt serving as a rolling reminder that the festival of colours is going bigger, bolder and starting earlier.
In a city where traffic already feels chaotic, one oversized water gun turned the daily commute into the opening act of Holi. Consider the streets officially splashed.
