The early arrival of summer in several parts of India has nudged direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands and quick commerce platforms to accelerate preparations for a prolonged high-demand season.
Typically, the peak season for brands selling beverages and ice creams, this summer is expected to see a higher share of sales coming from quick commerce platforms, as these products are often impulse purchases that consumers prefer to have delivered quickly.
"We are witnessing an early onset of summer buying, with a 3X surge in swimming essentials and ice cube trays, and a notable 2X spike in men's caps, indicating that consumers are moving quickly to beat the heat,” said a Flipkart Minutes spokesperson.
“While these are early trends, we expect this momentum to further increase in the coming weeks, with lassi, ice cream, and buttermilk expected to scale up by 4X and ice cubes to potentially grow by 6X,” the spokesperson added.
Similarly, Amazon Now and Amazon Fresh reported an early uptick in demand for summer essentials such as cold beverages, ice creams and related staples. The ecommerce major said premium and healthier ice-cream variants already make up about 15% of total ice-cream sales on Amazon Fresh, with the category recording around 30% year-on-year growth.
“We are preparing for a longer summer season by expanding our selection of summer products, optimizing inventory across our fulfilment network and working closely with brands to ensure higher supply given the early onset of summer this year,” said a spokesperson at Amazon.
Queries sent to Blinkit, Zepto and Instamart did not elicit a response.
Industry executives said the early onset of heat is prompting companies to ramp up inventories, launch new items and strengthen supply chains.
Boba Bhai, a quick service restaurant (QSR) brand specialising in bubble tea and other food items, has already recorded a 25% increase in beverage-led orders compared to the same period last year.
“We focus on strengthening our supply chain and ensuring adequate inventory for high-demand ingredients widely used across our beverage menu. On the operations side, we prepare stores for higher beverage volumes by optimising workflows and ensuring faster turnaround times for delivery and takeaway orders,” said Dhruv Kohli, founder, Boba Bhai.
The company expects overall demand to rise by around 30-35% during the summer months. This comes after the brand recently raised Rs 40 crore to accelerate store expansion across tier-1 cities while also entering select tier-II markets.
“Currently, around 50% of our total orders that come through delivery platforms have at least a drink, and this share typically increases during the summer months as consumers prefer ordering refreshing beverages directly to their homes or workplaces,” Kohli added.
Ahmedabad-based new-age ice-cream brand Hocco said it has already more-than-doubled its production capacity in Ahmedabad and is set to inaugurate a new manufacturing facility in Panipat in the first week of April, noting that such expansion plans are typically made well in advance.
Founder and CEO Ankit Chona said capacity planning typically begins about a year earlier, as the machinery required for ice-cream production takes roughly six to eight months from order to installation.
Despite challenges from the ongoing war, brands expect to stay on track to fulfil the projected demand as India is likely to see above-average temperatures this summer.
“Managing our vehicles is a very critical part of the operation, along with ensuring that we have sufficient raw materials and packaging supplies. The ongoing war has complicated matters, as plastic prices have suddenly risen by about 50%. We are also facing shortages of cones, so we must stock up in advance. There is a premium on them now because the government has cut gas supplies, and cones are manufactured using gas,” said Chona, while noting that the brand still expects to see a 100% YoY growth during the summer period.
The brand has also introduced a premium offering on quick commerce platforms, a channel which is well-suited for a range of summer-driven products.
“We’ve noticed that in quick commerce, platforms are increasingly preferring higher ticket-size items. So, we’ve introduced a pack of five cones priced at Rs 200,” Chona added.
Typically, the peak season for brands selling beverages and ice creams, this summer is expected to see a higher share of sales coming from quick commerce platforms, as these products are often impulse purchases that consumers prefer to have delivered quickly.
"We are witnessing an early onset of summer buying, with a 3X surge in swimming essentials and ice cube trays, and a notable 2X spike in men's caps, indicating that consumers are moving quickly to beat the heat,” said a Flipkart Minutes spokesperson.
“While these are early trends, we expect this momentum to further increase in the coming weeks, with lassi, ice cream, and buttermilk expected to scale up by 4X and ice cubes to potentially grow by 6X,” the spokesperson added.
Similarly, Amazon Now and Amazon Fresh reported an early uptick in demand for summer essentials such as cold beverages, ice creams and related staples. The ecommerce major said premium and healthier ice-cream variants already make up about 15% of total ice-cream sales on Amazon Fresh, with the category recording around 30% year-on-year growth.
“We are preparing for a longer summer season by expanding our selection of summer products, optimizing inventory across our fulfilment network and working closely with brands to ensure higher supply given the early onset of summer this year,” said a spokesperson at Amazon.
Queries sent to Blinkit, Zepto and Instamart did not elicit a response.
Industry executives said the early onset of heat is prompting companies to ramp up inventories, launch new items and strengthen supply chains.
Boba Bhai, a quick service restaurant (QSR) brand specialising in bubble tea and other food items, has already recorded a 25% increase in beverage-led orders compared to the same period last year.
“We focus on strengthening our supply chain and ensuring adequate inventory for high-demand ingredients widely used across our beverage menu. On the operations side, we prepare stores for higher beverage volumes by optimising workflows and ensuring faster turnaround times for delivery and takeaway orders,” said Dhruv Kohli, founder, Boba Bhai.
The company expects overall demand to rise by around 30-35% during the summer months. This comes after the brand recently raised Rs 40 crore to accelerate store expansion across tier-1 cities while also entering select tier-II markets.
“Currently, around 50% of our total orders that come through delivery platforms have at least a drink, and this share typically increases during the summer months as consumers prefer ordering refreshing beverages directly to their homes or workplaces,” Kohli added.
Ahmedabad-based new-age ice-cream brand Hocco said it has already more-than-doubled its production capacity in Ahmedabad and is set to inaugurate a new manufacturing facility in Panipat in the first week of April, noting that such expansion plans are typically made well in advance.
Founder and CEO Ankit Chona said capacity planning typically begins about a year earlier, as the machinery required for ice-cream production takes roughly six to eight months from order to installation.
Despite challenges from the ongoing war, brands expect to stay on track to fulfil the projected demand as India is likely to see above-average temperatures this summer.
“Managing our vehicles is a very critical part of the operation, along with ensuring that we have sufficient raw materials and packaging supplies. The ongoing war has complicated matters, as plastic prices have suddenly risen by about 50%. We are also facing shortages of cones, so we must stock up in advance. There is a premium on them now because the government has cut gas supplies, and cones are manufactured using gas,” said Chona, while noting that the brand still expects to see a 100% YoY growth during the summer period.
The brand has also introduced a premium offering on quick commerce platforms, a channel which is well-suited for a range of summer-driven products.
“We’ve noticed that in quick commerce, platforms are increasingly preferring higher ticket-size items. So, we’ve introduced a pack of five cones priced at Rs 200,” Chona added.
