22 iPhone 17s, one buyer: The order that showcased how India shopped in 2025

Instamart's latest trends report, titled 'How India Instamarted 2025', reveals a remarkable transformation in the quick commerce landscape of India. What initially started as a convenient way to procure groceries has rapidly evolved into a prominent retail channel for high-end tech products. In just a few short years, consumers have begun purchasing premium smartphones, smart appliances, and even gold, with delivery times shrinking to mere minutes. The report highlights a significant surge in repeat purchases, with one customer spending over ₹22 lakh across various transactions. This staggering expenditure included 22 iPhone 17 units, 24K gold coins, air fryers, SSDs, headphones, and an array of home appliances. The blending of everyday grocery items like milk and eggs with high-end gadgets illustrates a new shopping behavior where tech products are now viewed as essential commodities. A notable highlight from the report comes from Hyderabad, where an individual made the most extravagant tech order of the year on Instamart. This cart, valued at ₹4.3 lakh, contained three iPhone 17 Pros and was delivered within minutes, showcasing a burgeoning trend of impulsive high-value purchases akin to everyday essentials. This year also marked groundbreaking achievements in smartphone delivery speeds. Pune recorded the fastest delivery of an iPhone in 2025, with a new device arriving at a customer’s door in just three minutes. Ahmedabad wasn't far behind, achieving a delivery time of 3.5 minutes. The frequency with which smartphones appeared in shopping carts was striking; they ranked as the second-most added items on Instamart, just behind milk, indicating a shift in consumer mentality where smartphones are considered on-demand purchases. In Noida, one of the most discussed orders of the year amounted to ₹2.69 lakh, featuring an array of high-tech gadgets including robotic vacuum cleaners, Bluetooth speakers, portable SSDs, and noise-canceling headphones. This order resembled more of a consumer electronics showcase rather than a typical quick commerce purchase. The report also captured unusual shopping pairings, such as a Bengaluru customer who combined a ₹1.7 lakh smartphone with a ₹178 lime soda in a single cart. Interestingly, the smallest order recorded was a mere ₹10 printout. In Chennai, savvy shoppers took advantage of a sale, acquiring a tech cart valued at ₹1 lakh for just ₹7,000, which included a smartwatch and audio accessories. Moreover, luxury spending wasn't limited to electronics; a buyer in Mumbai purchased ₹15.16 lakh worth of gold through Instamart. The platform's Quick India Movement sale was particularly noteworthy, reportedly saving shoppers around ₹500 crore, with first-time buyers from Tier II and Tier III cities doubling their participation during the sale period, making up roughly one-third of all orders.