Flipkart's Big Billion Days Sale: What You Can Expect and How to Make the Most of It

The festive season around Diwali accounts for a majority of sales reported across offline and online channels. It is only natural for e-commerce companies like Flipkart, Amazon, and Snapdeal to make the most out of it. Last year, Flipkart launched an enormous campaign, called the Big Billion Day sale, targeted at consumers looking to grab discounts during the festive season. The aim was to target more first-time buyers who would be more likely to buy online if given an incentive in the form of a discount.

Flipkart's Big Billion Days sale last year met with mixed responses from all across. A lot of prospective customers were unable to access the website for some amount of time, and those who were able to login faced other problems like cancellation of orders. On the other hand the company was somewhat proud of the numbers it managed to flaunt during the sale. This year, the Flipkart Big Billion Days sale returns with even more to offer.

Flipkart's Big Billion Days sale is scheduled to be held from October 13 to October 17 this year. The online marketplace has promised a much better user experience this year. Flipkart has been working on making the required changes in its infrastructure to organise a sale of this scale during Diwali. It has held app-only sales regularly over the last one year to prepare well in advance for the Diwali rush. The company has invested in several new fulfilment centres to cater to the surge in orders during the sale period. To ensure products reach your quickly, Flipkart will also deploy a record number of delivery boys this year.

This year's Big Billion Days sale will be app-only. While customers have voiced their opinion through several social platforms about the need to keep the website alive, Flipkart is keen on moving ahead with its app based strategy. Flipkart is also promising a lot more products will be available on Big Billion Days sale this year, rather than keeping a limit inventory on extremely discounted prices. If you were hoping for those "steal deals" this year, don't expect much. All the Flipkart Big Billion Days deals are valid for a limited period only.

The Big Billion Days sale will be applicable across almost all product categories on Flipkart. The company's recent purchase, Myntra, will also be joining the Big Billion Days sale this year. Flipkart has also tied up with banks like State Bank of India, Standard Chartered, and Citibank to offer cash back and additional discounts. The most popular product categories during the Billion Days sale are electronics, computers and accessories, and smartphones.

Here's what you can expect from the Flipkart Big Billion Days sale this year:

(a) Flipkart is promising an "almost glitch-free user experience", a larger inventory going on sale rather than a small number of products going at dirt cheap prices, and a better and quicker delivery experience.

(b) In terms of deals, expect the Flipkart Big Billion Days sale to offer great deals on select smartphones, big-screen TVs, large appliances, wireless speakers, external hard drives, memory cards, books, computers and laptops, tablets, and other gadgets.

Here are some tips to help you sail through the Flipkart Big Billion Days sale:

1) As we mentioned, the sale this year is going to be available only on Flipkart's apps on smartphones and tablets. Keep your apps updated to ensure a smooth user experience. Make sure you are on a reliable connection while making a purchase. The biggest deals usually go live on the first day of the Flipkart Big Billion Days sale so make sure you don't miss out on those.

2) Make a list of products that you're keen on buying. Browsing promotional sales isn't a great user experience unless you know what you want. Going through a sale on an app could be painful too. Make sure you don't miss out a deal on the products you need the most. Search for them on the app before you start browsing all items on sale. Keep a wishlist ready on the app to help you out.

3) Keep your contact information like delivery addresses and payment information saved. You want minimum friction while checking out to ensure a deal doesn't go out of stock by the time you're done paying. As always, saving your payment information is always secure on sites like Flipkart. Keep in mind that e-commerce companies tend to block payment methods like cash on delivery during promotional sales like the Flipkart Big Billion Days.

4) Compare before you make a decision. If you come across a deal that's absolutely worth it, don't waste time thinking. But if you're having second thoughts, don't make a purchase without quickly comparing the prices on other major online retailers like Amazon, Snapdeal and Paytm. The other online stores are also expected to run promotional sales close to the same time frame as Flipkart Big Billion Days sale and you might get a better deal there.

5) Use credit or debit cards issued by State Bank of India, Citibank and Standard Chartered to get even more discounts and cash back during Flipkart Big Billion Days sale. There will be a predefined minimum transaction value and a maximum discount or cash back value when these offers go live, make sure you go through those a night before the sale goes live.

Do you have any more tips to make the most of Flipkart Big Billion Days sale? Let us know via the comments.