Introduction

Janmashtami, celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna, is not only a spiritual occasion but also a significant retail opportunity for food brands and online platforms. A central tradition during the festival is fasting (vrat), during which people consume specific foods such as sabudana (tapioca pearls), makhana (fox nuts), and peanut mixes.

In 2025, the festival saw a remarkable surge in demand for fasting-friendly foods on quick commerce platforms like Zepto and Blinkit, as well as e-commerce grocery platforms like Amazon Fresh. Brands leveraged this festive period to push SKUs with targeted placement, attractive discounts, and strategic bundling.

Actowiz Solutions, a leader in real-time retail data scraping and analytics, conducted an in-depth SKU-level tracking study to understand:

• Sales spikes in fasting foods during Janmashtami week.

• Brand placement strategies and visibility on popular platforms.

• Price positioning across Zepto, Blinkit, and Amazon Fresh.

• Consumer behavior shifts during the festival period.

Research Objective

The primary goal of this study was to quantify and analyze the growth of fasting food sales during Janmashtami 2025, focusing on:

• SKU Tracking: Monitoring top-selling SKUs in sabudana, makhana, and peanut mixes across selected platforms.

• Brand Placement: Identifying brands with prime homepage/banner positioning and in-app visibility.

• Price Trends: Tracking pre-festival vs. festival-period pricing changes.

• Inventory Movement: Monitoring stockouts and replenishment speed during peak hours.

• Discount Impact: Correlating price drops with sales volume surges.

Platforms & Dataset Scope

This case study covers three major online grocery channels:

• Zepto – Coverage: All major Indian metros | Scraping Frequency: Hourly | Key Insights: SKU price, discount %, stock status, ranking position
  
  

• Blinkit – Coverage: Tier-1 & Tier-2 cities | Scraping Frequency: Hourly | Key Insights: Placement in fasting food category, offer banners, delivery time
  
  

• Amazon Fresh – Coverage: Pan-India | Scraping Frequency: Daily | Key Insights: Bestseller rank, discount history, stock availability
  
  

Timeframe: Data was collected 7 days before Janmashtami, on the festival day, and 3 days after to capture pre-event, peak-event, and post-event patterns.

Data Collection Methodology

Actowiz Solutions deployed its proprietary web scraping APIs integrated with real-time price monitoring tools.

Key Data Points Extracted:

• SKU Name (e.g., Tata Sampann Sabudana 500g)

• Brand

• MRP vs. Selling Price

• Discount Percentage

• Stock Status (Available / Low Stock / Out of Stock)

• Placement (Homepage banner, category top, sponsored listing)

• Delivery Time Estimate (Zepto/Blinkit only)

• Bestseller Rank (Amazon Fresh)

Anti-blocking Measures:

• Proxy rotation to avoid detection.

• Session management for consistent product ID tracking.

• Time-based scraping for price volatility mapping.

Observations & Key Trends

Sales Surge by Category

From the dataset, the overall sales volume for fasting foods increased by 54% compared to the previous week.

• Sabudana – Avg. Daily Sales: 2,100 units (Pre-Festival) → 4,650 units (Festival Day) | Growth: +121%
  
  

• Makhana – Avg. Daily Sales: 1,500 units (Pre-Festival) → 3,220 units (Festival Day) | Growth: +114%
  
  

• Peanut Mixes – Avg. Daily Sales: 1,050 units (Pre-Festival) → 2,450 units (Festival Day) | Growth: +133%
  
  

Price Positioning & Discount Patterns

Zepto:

• Sabudana: Avg. discount 8%, but premium brands offered free delivery for bulk orders.

• Makhana: Mid-tier brands like Happilo offered Buy 1 Get 1 Free deals.

• Peanut Mixes: Positioned in “Snacks” and “Fasting” categories, with flat ₹20 off promotions.

Blinkit:

• Heavy use of bundle deals (“Fasting Combo – Sabudana + Makhana + Peanut Mix”).

• Discounts in the 5–15% range, with higher discounts on regional brands.

Amazon Fresh:

• Sabudana brands like Tata Sampann dropped prices by 12% 3 days before the festival.

• Makhana SKUs from Sattviko showed dynamic pricing—up to 3 changes in 24 hours.

Brand Placement & Visibility

• Zepto – Most Visible Sabudana Brand: Tata Sampann | Most Visible Makhana Brand: Happilo | Most Visible Peanut Mix Brand: Nutraj
  
  

• Blinkit – Most Visible Sabudana Brand: Rajbhog Foods | Most Visible Makhana Brand: Munchilicious | Most Visible Peanut Mix Brand: Organic Tattva
  
  

• Amazon Fresh – Most Visible Sabudana Brand: Organic India | Most Visible Makhana Brand: Sattviko | Most Visible Peanut Mix Brand: Farmley

Stockouts & Replenishment Speed

Zepto: Stockouts observed in top 5 SKUs by 8:00 PM on festival day, replenished within 3 hours.

Blinkit: Peanut mix stockouts in Tier-2 cities took longer to replenish (avg. 10 hours).

Amazon Fresh: No stockouts, but some SKUs were marked “Only 2 left in stock” to create urgency.

Sample Data Extract (Festival Day – Sabudana)

• Sabudana 500g – Brand: Tata Sampann | Platform: Zepto | MRP: ₹120 | Selling Price: ₹110 | Discount: 8% | Stock Status: In Stock | Placement: Top Category | Delivery Time: 10 min
  
  

• Sabudana 1kg – Brand: Rajbhog Foods | Platform: Blinkit | MRP: ₹200 | Selling Price: ₹180 | Discount: 10% | Stock Status: In Stock | Placement: Bundle Offer | Delivery Time: 15 min
  
  

• Sabudana 500g – Brand: Organic India | Platform: Amazon Fresh | MRP: ₹150 | Selling Price: ₹132 | Discount: 12% | Stock Status: Low Stock | Placement: Bestseller #4 | Delivery Time: Next Day

Consumer Behavior Insights

• Higher Basket Size: 38% of orders contained 2 or more fasting SKUs.

• Impulse Buying: Homepage fasting banners drove 27% of total sales.

• Regional Brand Preference: In North India, local brands outperformed national brands in peanut mix sales by 15%.

Strategic Recommendations

For Brands:

• Push Bundles: Sabudana + Makhana + Peanut Mix combos work well.

• Leverage Dynamic Pricing: Adjust discounts in the 24–48 hours before the festival.

• Localize Campaigns: Target regional flavors and packaging.

For Retailers & Platforms:

• Early Stock Planning: Ensure replenishment speed in Tier-2 cities.

• Category Highlighting: Maintain a dedicated “Fasting Specials” section.

• Sponsored Listings: Invest in top-category placement during peak hours.

How Actowiz Solutions Delivers This Intelligence

Actowiz Solutions provides:

• Hourly SKU Tracking for pricing, discounts, and stock.

• Competitor Benchmarking Dashboards for brand managers.

• Geo-Specific Insights to tailor marketing by region.

• Historical Trend Analysis for year-over-year festive performance.

Technical Advantages:

• Real-time API integration with retailer platforms.

• AI-driven anomaly detection for sudden price or stock changes.

• Automated reporting for decision-makers.

Client Testimonial

"Partnering with Actowiz Solutions for Janmashtami SKU tracking completely transformed our festive sales strategy. Their real-time data on sabudana, makhana, and peanut mix performance across Zepto, Blinkit, and Amazon Fresh helped us identify the exact hours and cities where demand peaked. We adjusted pricing and boosted ad placements accordingly—and saw a 37% higher sell-through rate compared to last year. Their dashboards made complex data easy to act on, and their team ensured zero downtime in reporting. Actowiz isn’t just a data provider—they’re our competitive edge during high-stakes festive seasons."

— Rohan Mehta, Marketing Head, Nutraj Foods

Conclusion

The Janmashtami 2025 fasting food market shows the potential of data-driven inventory and pricing strategies. By leveraging real-time SKU-level tracking, brands can maximize visibility, optimize pricing, and prevent stockouts during high-demand periods.

With Actowiz Solutions’ retail intelligence platform, both brands and online grocery players can ensure they’re ahead in the fast-paced quick commerce race—especially during festivals where every minute of visibility can make or break sales.

Learn More >> https://www.actowizsolutions.com/janmashtami-fasting-food-growth-trends.php

Originally published at https://www.actowizsolutions.com