Footwear, electronic wearables, kitchenware and home furnishings witness surge in inventories ahead of festive season

New Delhi [India], September 24 : Ahead of the upcoming festive season, categories such as footwear, electronic wearables, kitchenware and home furnishings have witnessed rapid growth in inventories, data analysed by e-commerce enablement platform Unicommerce revealed.
As the festive season comes closer, the analysis added that the brands and retailers are ramping up their inventories to cater to the demands of the consumers.
The data suggests that the inventory levels across various categories have notably increased from June to August 2024, with certain segments such as footwear, electronic wearables, kitchenware and home furnishings witnessing rapid growth in inventories.
As per the data of the company, the footwear brands have increased their inventories by over 55 per cent, while electronic wearables have seen a 33 per cent increase.
The kitchenware and home furnishings and decor brands have also geared up, with inventories rising by 30 per cent and 26 per cent respectively.
However, the most substantial inventory build-up has been in the jewellery and healthy snack categories, where stock levels have surged by over 100 per cent and 75 per cent, respectively, aligning with seasonal shopping trends.
The inventory build-up is crucial to ensuring faster deliveries, as brands aim to meet service level agreements (SLAs) during the festive period when demand peaks and logistics networks face increased pressure.
Speaking about the preparations, Kapil Makhija, MD and CEO of Unicommerce, said, "E-commerce is centerstage as shoppers in India load up their festive carts. Unicommerce's technology provides the capability and extra cushion to support e-commerce companies and retail brands during this period."
This analysis is based on a data assessment of the company's top 80+ clients. The company manages 8300+ warehouses and 2950+ omni-enabled stores across India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.