Record New Year’s Eve demand powers historic payouts for gig workers
Food delivery platforms Zomato and Swiggy, along with quick commerce players such as Blinkit, Zepto, Instamart, BigBasket, Flipkart Minutes and Amazon Now, together paid out more than ₹100 crore to gig workers on New Year’s Eve (NYE), as order volumes surged to all-time highs, according to multiple industry sources.
The strong showing came despite calls by certain worker unions for a nationwide strike, which many had feared could disrupt deliveries during one of the busiest ordering days of the year. Instead, companies reported record volumes, full rider availability and significantly higher earnings for delivery partners, underlining the resilience of platform-led logistics during peak demand periods.
Payouts jump 30–40% over a regular day
Industry executives said total payouts on NYE were 30–40 percent higher than a normal business day, when combined payments across food delivery and quick commerce typically range between ₹60–70 crore.
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Food delivery platforms such as Zomato and Swiggy paid out around ₹60–70 crore
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Quick commerce firms accounted for another ₹50–60 crore, reflecting a sharp spike in instant grocery and essentials demand
This marked one of the highest single-day payout totals ever recorded for India’s gig economy ecosystem.
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Incentives and demand both drive higher earnings
Executives said the surge in payouts was driven by a combination of higher order volumes and peak-hour incentives, a structure that platforms routinely deploy during festivals and high-demand events.
Companies typically increase per-order earnings during evening rush hours and special occasions to ensure adequate rider availability and compensate workers for longer hours. New Year’s Eve followed this established pattern.
Zomato parent Eternal reports all-time high orders
Deepinder Goyal, Group CEO of Eternal, the parent company of Zomato and Blinkit, said the company delivered an unprecedented number of orders during the year-end rush.
“We delivered over 75 lakh orders on NYE, all-time high,” Goyal said in a social media post.
He added that the growth was largely organic, and not the result of extraordinary incentive payouts.
“This happened without any additional incentives for delivery partners. NYE does see higher incentives than usual days and yesterday was no different than the past NYE days,” he said, adding that strike calls did not dent demand.
Strike calls fail to disrupt operations
Senior executives across multiple platforms told Moneycontrol that the call for strikes had virtually no impact on operations, with deliveries running smoothly throughout the day and night.
“The strike had zero impact on order volumes. In fact, we delivered record volumes on NYE, because of which total payouts, across food and quick commerce, crossed ₹100 crore on a single day,” a top executive said.
Another executive pointed out that rider participation remained strong precisely because of the earning opportunity.
“All delivery workers were available to fulfil deliveries. In fact, if strikes had happened, it would have resulted in a loss of over ₹100 crore to delivery workers—no one wanted to miss out on that,” the executive said.
Quick commerce sees sharp jump in festive demand
Quick commerce platforms, which promise delivery within minutes, saw particularly strong traction during the New Year rush, as consumers opted for last-minute groceries, snacks, beverages and party essentials.
Executives said payouts in the quick commerce segment were at least 30 percent higher than a regular day, reflecting both higher order density and extended operating hours.
The surge highlights how instant commerce has become a core part of urban consumption behaviour, especially during festivals and celebrations.
Why New Year’s Eve remains critical for platforms
For food delivery and quick commerce companies, New Year’s Eve is among the most important days of the year, often rivalled only by major festivals such as Diwali.
Key reasons include:
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Peak demand during evening and late-night hours
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Higher average order values
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Greater frequency of impulse purchases
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Willingness among consumers to pay convenience premiums
These factors make NYE a crucial stress test for logistics networks—and a major earning opportunity for gig workers.
What this means for the gig economy debate
The strong turnout and record payouts come at a time when gig work conditions remain under scrutiny, with unions raising concerns over pay stability, social security and working conditions.
While companies maintain that incentive-led earnings can significantly boost incomes during peak periods, worker groups argue that high single-day payouts do not offset longer-term uncertainties.
Still, the NYE performance demonstrates the earning potential built into the platform model during demand spikes, even as broader policy discussions around gig worker protections continue.
Outlook: festive resilience, but structural questions remain
The New Year’s Eve data suggests that consumer demand remains robust and that food delivery and quick commerce platforms are able to scale operations quickly when required. For gig workers, peak days like NYE continue to offer outsized earning opportunities.
However, industry observers note that sustaining such earnings outside festive windows will depend on:
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Order growth consistency
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Platform incentive strategies
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Regulatory clarity on gig employment
For now, the record payouts underline one clear takeaway: despite strike calls and operational concerns, India’s app-based delivery ecosystem entered 2026 on a strong and resilient footing.
