11-November-2026
Zepto reported that festive hamper orders on its platform were three times the previous Diwali’s level, according to The Economic Times on 9 November. That is a company-reported result for one platform, not a measure of the whole retail market. It nevertheless raises a question for food makers, packagers and regional brands asked to scale quickly for a short selling window.
The Retail Times asks: Who pays when a sales forecast changes after a small manufacturer has bought ingredients, printed special packaging and hired extra labour? Who bears the cost of markdowns and unsold inventory? And if a food item has a quality complaint, can the platform and maker trace it to the right batch?
The Retail Times recommends that seasonal purchase agreements distinguish firm orders from forecasts and set out cancellation, returns, markdown and payment terms before production starts. Platforms and suppliers should run a post-festival review that tracks sell-through, returns and settlement times as well as gross orders. Customers gain from better traceability; suppliers gain from knowing what risks they have agreed to carry.
A festival sales record is more meaningful when suppliers can see what they earned and customers can trust what they bought.
