The platform also on-boarded over 5 lakh new retailers and kirana shop owners in 2021. During this period, over 625 sellers on the platform achieved sales worth Rs 1 crore each.
Essentials Business
In 2021, udaan witnessed a surge in business across essentials category adding over 3 lakh new retailers and a repeat purchase rate of over 94%. The demand for FMCG products grew by 77% and included – 500 million biscuit packets, 190 million namkeen packets, 365 million beverages (units) followed by ready to eat products – 160 million noodle packets and 60 million chocolate packets. In addition, 950 million personal care and 320 million home care items were sold in 2021. The highest demand for these products came from Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Rajasthan.
Demand for staples products grew by 45% YoY and included 12 lakh tonnes of sugar and oil and 5 lakh tonnes of rice, pulses and flours. The highest demand for these products came from Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana and West Bengal.
Non-Essentials Business
In 2021 udaan shipped over 100 million electronic products comprising of 85 million accessories and consumer electronics, 10 million mobile handsets, and 8 million computers and IT accessories. The platform witnessed large volume of orders for electronic products from Karnataka, Assam, Nagaland, and West Bengal.
Retailers in the general merchandise category placed orders for over 30 million products. The demand ranged from 7 million metal utensils, 6 million cleaning products and kitchen tools, 5 million plastic products, 3 million appliances and cookware items and 1 million cycles, toys and baby care products. udaan received large volume of orders for general merchandise items from North-East states, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Madhya Pradesh.
udaan’s lifestyle business comprising clothing, accessories, and footwear shipped over 130 million products to 22% of the total Lifestyle retailers present in India catering to 80 lakh orders in 2021. The platform shipped over 40 million face masks across India recording a 60% increase in demand as compared to 2020.
Over 5 million pieces of masks were shipped to Assam, and Uttar Pradesh each, while West Bengal, Nagaland, and Bihar saw a cumulative sale of around 10 million masks. In addition, 9 million comfort wear products, 9 million slippers, 8 million T-shirts, and 3 million shirts were shipped across India. The highest demand for lifestyle products came from Mizoram followed by Karnataka, Telangana, Bihar and Assam.
Sellers who did business worth Rs 1 crore each
300 sellers in electronics, 200 sellers in lifestyle and 125 sellers in general merchandise category achieved sales of over Rs 1 crore in 2021. In addition, 150 out of the 300 sellers in electronics achieved sales of over Rs 2 crore during this period.
In a statement, Vaibhav Gupta, Co-Founder and CEO, udaan said, “While the world, including India, was impacted by the second and third wave of the pandemic, udaan was able to keep the wheels of economic activities moving by leveraging on ecommerce. The capabilities that we have invested in and built over the past five years were the key differentiators that set udaan apart. The addition of new retailers and kirana shop owners to the platform, high repeat purchase rate, and distribution partnership with a large number of regional and national brands are a testimony to the cost benefits and ease of doing business that udaan offers to its business partners.”