More sellers are listing fashion products on Flipkart after the e-commerce company stopped charging them commission, a bet that now faces its biggest test during the festive season.

In July, the Walmart-owned company scrapped commissions on all fashion products, fees that had averaged 14-18 per cent of each sale.

Its fashion seller base has grown 77 per cent this year, while new products listed on the platform have more than doubled, said Kapil Thirani, vice-president and head of Flipkart’s marketplace and fashion businesses.

That wider selection is expected to play a key role during Big Billion Days (BBD), Flipkart’s biggest sale of the year, which begins Thursday.

“By improving seller economics, Flipkart Fashion is enabling more sellers to participate, list more actively, and bring a wider range of products to the platform,” Thirani told Business Standard.

Transacting selection rose 33 per cent this year, he said.

Flipkart’s curated Next Gen programme has recorded three-fold growth in seller onboarding over the past six months, the company said.

India’s apparel market is projected to reach $130-150 billion by 2030, growing at an estimated 10-12 per cent annually, according to consultancy firm Redseer.

Thirani said fashion was moving beyond one-time occasion dressing towards more versatile wardrobe building.

Shoppers increasingly want styles that work across celebrations and everyday moments, driving interest in mix-and-match pieces, casual ethnic wear and contemporary styles.

Fashion demand is also becoming more topical and occasion-led, spanning cultural moments as well as sports-linked occasions.

In kids’ fashion, IPL T-shirt sales grew 150 per cent year-on-year (YoY), while Janmashtami-led purchases rose 60 per cent YoY.

Thirani said this pointed to a strong opportunity around Navratri, Pujo, Dussehra and Diwali.

“The big bet this festive season is the ability to serve these increasingly diverse fashion needs at scale across India,” he said.

Gen Z shoppers are also driving the business.

The biggest shift, Thirani said, is their ability to balance experimentation with value. They want to participate in new trends and refresh their wardrobes more frequently, but pricing remains one of their key purchase considerations.

Gen Z now accounts for nearly 50 per cent of Flipkart Fashion’s audience, with the cohort growing 25 per cent YoY.

“This combination of trend-consciousness and value-consciousness is redefining how trends are adopted at scale on Flipkart,” Thirani said.

The way consumers discover fashion is also changing.

Consumers, particularly Gen Z, increasingly expect personalised experiences rather than endless choices, Thirani said.

Shopping is seeing “a clear shift from search-led shopping to inspiration-led discovery”, where creators, social content and video-led experiences are becoming increasingly influential in purchase decisions, he added.

Flipkart Fashion is investing in AI-powered personalisation, video commerce, virtual try-ons and conversational shopping experiences aimed at making discovery more contextual, immersive and relevant to individual preferences.

Quick commerce is also creating a new use case for fashion, as consumers turn to it for everyday essentials and last-minute purchases.

Flipkart Minutes offers more than 7,000 fashion and accessory options across apparel, footwear, watches, jewellery and gifting.

Watches, bangles and bracelets are seeing strong volumes.

“These early trends in the run-up to the BBD reflect how quick commerce is emerging as a complementary fashion channel, making fashion more accessible for convenience-led needs,” Thirani said.

Flipkart Group also owns fashion platform Myntra.

Thirani said the two businesses play differentiated roles within the group.

“Flipkart Fashion’s focus remains on bridging affluent India and aspirational Bharat by making fashion discoverable and accessible across geographies, price points, and style preferences,” he said.

Consumer needs in India vary significantly across metros, Tier-II, Tier-III and emerging towns, from aspiration-led shopping in urban centres to value-driven access in Bharat, Thirani said.

He added that Flipkart Fashion plays a distinct role as a “value x fashion” destination at scale.

It serves customers across price points and categories, from everyday essentials and innerwear to trend-led Gen Z styles.

For many customers, particularly in emerging markets, Flipkart provides access to brands and trends that may not otherwise be easily available offline.

Consumers in Tier-II and Tier-III markets have become more fashion-forward, Thirani said, with the East and Northeast emerging as some of India’s most trend-aware markets.

The West and South also continue to expand significantly for Flipkart Fashion.

“They will continue to remain priority markets for us,” he said.

“We are also increasingly witnessing consumers blending global trends with traditional Indian fashion elements to create looks that feel modern yet culturally relevant.”