Instamart's fifth annual trends report, titled 'How India Instamarted 2025', delivers a compelling narrative of a dramatic shift in Indian retail. The platform, which started as a solution for last-minute groceries, has rapidly transformed into one of the nation's fastest-growing technology retail channels. What was once a service for ordering milk and snacks is now a hub where consumers impulsively buy and receive premium smartphones, smart appliances, and even gold within minutes.
Record-Breaking Spends and The Rise of Impulse Tech
The report underscores a significant surge in high-value, repeat purchases. The most striking example is the platform's biggest spender of the year, who crossed an astonishing ₹22 lakh through multiple transactions. This single account featured a diverse range of items, from 22 units of the iPhone 17 and 24K gold coins to everyday gadgets like air fryers, SSDs, headphones, and various home appliances. This shopping behaviour highlights a new normal where premium technology and daily essentials like milk, eggs, and fruit coexist seamlessly in the same digital cart.
This 'upgrade-now' mindset was epitomised by a user in Hyderabad, who placed the year's most expensive single tech order. Valued at ₹4.3 lakh, the cart contained three iPhone 17 Pro devices, delivered in mere minutes. This purchase symbolises a major behavioural shift, where significant tech investments are no longer planned over weeks but are made on impulse, mirroring the spontaneity of buying daily necessities.
Smartphones: The New Staple in Quick Commerce
One of the report's most revealing insights is the ubiquitous presence of smartphones in shopping carts. In 2025, mobile phones became the second-most added item on Instamart, trailing only behind milk. This trend, spanning from budget-friendly models to top-tier flagships, indicates that Indian consumers increasingly view smartphones as on-demand purchases rather than products reserved for special occasions.
The demand for instant gratification pushed delivery times to new extremes. Pune recorded the fastest iPhone delivery of the year, with a brand-new device reaching a customer in an incredible three minutes. Ahmedabad followed closely with a delivery time of just 3.5 minutes, setting new benchmarks for quick commerce efficiency.
Beyond Electronics: Gold, Mega Carts, and Quirky Mixes
The high-value spending wave extended far beyond consumer electronics. A user from Mumbai spent a massive ₹15.16 lakh solely on gold through the platform. Meanwhile, a Noida user assembled one of the year's most discussed carts, worth ₹2.69 lakh, which included robotic vacuum cleaners, Bluetooth speakers, portable SSDs, and high-end audio gear, resembling a consumer electronics showcase.
The report also documented unique 'Only-on-Instamart' moments that highlight its diverse appeal. In Bengaluru, a user paired a ₹1.7 lakh smartphone with a ₹178 lime soda in one order. The same city saw the year's smallest purchase: a ₹10 printout. In Chennai, a savvy shopper leveraged a sale to acquire a tech cart worth ₹1 lakh for only ₹7,000, bagging a smartwatch and audio accessories at a steep discount.
Furthermore, Instamart's Quick India Movement sale reportedly helped shoppers save around ₹500 crore. The sale period also witnessed a significant democratisation of access, with first-time buyers from Tier II and Tier III cities doubling and accounting for approximately one-third of all orders.
The 'How India Instamarted 2025' report conclusively paints a picture of a market in rapid transition. Quick commerce has successfully shattered its grocery-only image, emerging as a dominant, impulse-driven retail channel for high-value technology and lifestyle products, fundamentally altering how India shops.
