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Milk, smartphones, gold, condoms and more, India’s “add to cart” went all-in on Instamart in 2025. This wasn’t just another year of quick shopping; it was the year India turned to Instamart for every kind of need. Early-morning pantry stocking, festive gifting, non-grocery categories booming, and Tier-II cities leading the growth charge, convenience has officially graduated from emergency top-ups to becoming a part of India’s daily rhythm.

As Instamart unveils the fifth edition of its annual order analysis* — How India Instamarted 2025 reveals a powerful shift: From the tiniest cart of Rs.10 on a print out in Bengaluru, to a Hyderabadi shelling out Rs.4.3 lakh on iPhones, earning it the title of the biggest single cart of 2025,  Instamart has become one of the trusted place for India’s wishlists, all delivered in 10 minutes*. Across repeat orders this year, the top spender of 2025 clocked over Rs.22 lakh on Instamart, adding everything to cart, from 22 iPhone 17s, 24K gold coins, a Philips air fryer, and even everyday items such as Tic Tacs, milk, eggs, ice cream, and fresh fruits.

Doodh, Butter, and Everything Nice

Doodh, doodh, doodh hai wonderful! In 2025, India guzzled more than 4 packets of milk per second, enough creamy goodness to fill over 26,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. And the dairy love didn’t stop there. Paneer had its moment too, outselling cheese by more than half. Even breakfast stayed loyal to its roots: for every 10 cheese orders, about 9 went to butter and spreads, proving that nothing beats a good old desi toast-topping. And 2025’s hottest “device”? Not a smartphone. A potato. Masala-flavoured chips claimed the #1 spot for late-night orders in 9 of the top 10 cities.

Of course, it wasn’t all snacks and doodh. Big-ticket carts shone bright. In Hyderabad, a gadget enthusiast splashed Rs.4.3 lakh on three iPhone 17s in a single tap, while a Noida techno-holic spent Rs.2.69 lakh on Bluetooth speakers, SSDs, and robotic vacuums in a single swoop. Bengaluru went full festive mode this Diwali, adding a 1 KG silver brick worth Rs.1,97,000 to the cart, literally giving weight to convenience. And on Dhanteras, Instamart saw a glittering surge in gold orders with over 400% growth over 2024 orders, proving that Indians trust their carts for both everyday staples and life’s luxuries.

Everyday Heroes of the Shopping Cart

* Kitchen MVPs: Some items are forever favourites. Curry leaves, dahi, eggs, milk, and bananas dominated repeat orders across India. One flavour fan in Kochi placed 368 orders of curry leaves, practically one for every day of the year

* Cart Champions of 2025: Some of India’s heaviest hitters came from Kolkata (1,197 orders), Mumbai (1,142), Kochi (1,089) and Gurgaon (1,033), each city home to a power user who crossed the 1,000-order mark in 2025

* Prime Time: Most carts are filled between 7 AM – 11 AM and again from 4 PM – 7 PM, proving early mornings still rule the roost

India shopped quick. Real quick!

* Quickest delivery of 2025: Ironically, 2-minute noodles were delivered in under 2 minutes and smartphones in 3 minutes. In Lucknow, a Maggi Magic Masala Noodles pack reached a hungry user in under two minutes, faster than it takes to cook the all-time favourite

* But the real frenzy was for the iPhone 17 drop. While the world queued up outside Apple Stores, two users in Pune and Ahmedabad had their brand-new phones delivered in less than three minutes, beating the “unboxing reaction” videos to it

How India Shopped in 2025 - Oops, we mean #Instamarted

* As consumers embrace convenience, speed and discretion, 1 in every 127 orders in Instamart included a condom. September stood out as a peak month for condom purchases on Instamart, with a 24 % surge in orders

* Meanwhile, a single account in Chennai placed 228 separate condom orders totalling Rs.1,06,398, a light-hearted testament to ‘planning ahead’

* Bengaluru may be India’s tech capital, but it’s also the tipping capital. One generous local dropped Rs.68,600 just in tips. Chennai followed with Rs.59,505, proving India doesn’t just deliver good vibes… they tip them too

* And yes, only Namma Bengaluru would proudly pair a Rs.1.7 lakh iPhone with a Rs.178 lime soda in the same cart. Premium tech, budget thirst-quenching — that’s the real startup hustle energy

* Tier-II cities are powering the quick-commerce growth story too. Rajkot recorded a staggering 10x YoY growth, Ludhiana grew 7x, and Bhubaneswar rose 4x

* Meanwhile, health and wellness are booming, with Bhopal seeing a 16x YoY increase, followed by Varanasi, Ludhiana, and Warangal

India loves to celebrate, and Instamart delivers: Roses, Grooming Sets & Beyond

* Gulabi Din: During peak celebrations, orders for roses peaked at 666 per minute on Valentine’s Day. Bengaluru went all out with 1,780 orders per minute for roses and chocolates combined!

* Beating Monday blues with gifts: Interestingly, Mondays emerged as the ultimate gifting day across India

* Festival Favourites: Raksha Bandhan, Friendship Day, and Valentine’s Day became the most gifted days of 2025, with Instamart’s “Giftables” feature

* Mother’s Day vs Father's Day: Bodycare gift sets peaked at 12:05 PM, perfect for mid-day pampering, whereas grooming gifts peaked in the late evening around 7:36 PM

The Big Spenders, Smart Carts, and Wildest Instamart Icons

* Noodles ka sawaal hai bhai… tension kyu leta hai? One Bengaluru account on Instamart shelled out Rs.4,36,153 on noodles

* Sapno ki nagri? Yes, but with wings: An account in Mumbai spent Rs.16.3 lakh on Red Bull Sugar Free

* Feelings delivered. Dil garden-garden: One Hyderabadi spent Rs.31,240 on roses

* Pet Parent of the Year: A single Chennai user pampered their pets with Rs.2.41 lakh on pet supplies

* NCR’s gains are getting serious: One Noida gym-bro went all in with Rs.2.8 lakh on 1,343 protein items

* Pure sone-ki-chaal energy: Rs.15.16 lakh of gold tapped in 2025. Stocks? Nah. This Mumbaikar was busy vibing to “Sona Kitna Sona Hai”

* And the tiniest cart of the year? A Bengaluru user who ordered a printout at Rs.10

Agar kisi cheez ko poore dil se chaho… Instamart delivers it.. within 10 minutes!

* Protein was India’s MVP in 2025: Seven of the top ten protein items were bars, followed by ready-to-drink shakes and high-protein yoghurts. To add to the fun, India’s protein advocate, FoodPharmer, recently debuted at the protein party on Instamart

* Korean flavours are on fire, quite literally: Gochujang sauce orders in Bangalore jumped by +491%, with noodles dominating nearly nine out of ten Korean product orders

* And chai? Still the national drink: For every cup of coffee, Indians gulped 1.3 cups of chai in the top 10 cities

* Curiosity knows no bounds. Instamart users searched for everything: Swiggy (7,000), drones (1,453), petrol (1,069), and even Airbus (938). If only logistics were as magical as a Shaka Laka Boom Boom pencil!

India’s quickest sale lived up to its name

* Instamart’s Quick India Movement sale saved shoppers around Rs.500 crores, with first-time buyers from Tier II and Tier III cities doubling and powering one-third of all orders

* In Chennai, a tech-savvy user snagged a cart worth Rs.1,00,000 for just Rs.7,000, including a smartwatch, earphones, and truly wireless earbuds

* The fastest phone delivery? Happened in Pune in 3 minutes flat, followed by Ahmedabad in 3.5 minutes

2025 was a year where India shopped at the speed of thought, snacked with flair, and gifted with gusto. From midnight cravings to festive splurges, from Tier-I metropolises to Tier-II towns, Instamart emerged as the pulse of convenience, flavour, and sheer consumer joy.

Because in India, every cart tells a story- and in 2025, those stories were crunchy, creamy, and absolutely Insta-worthy.

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