Record New Year\u2019s Eve demand powers historic payouts for gig workers<\/p>\n
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 \u20b9100 crore to gig workers on New Year\u2019s Eve (NYE), as order volumes surged to all-time highs, according to multiple industry sources.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Industry executives said total payouts on NYE were 30\u201340 percent higher than a normal business day, when combined payments across food delivery and quick commerce typically range between \u20b960\u201370 crore.<\/p>\n
Food delivery platforms such as Zomato and Swiggy paid out around \u20b960\u201370 crore<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Quick commerce firms accounted for another \u20b950\u201360 crore, reflecting a sharp spike in instant grocery and essentials demand<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This marked one of the highest single-day payout totals ever recorded for India\u2019s gig economy ecosystem.<\/p>\n
Also Read : Coal India Shares Jump 6% After Company Allows Direct Foreign Participation In E-Auctions<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s Eve followed this established pattern.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWe delivered over 75 lakh orders on NYE, all-time high,\u201d Goyal said in a social media post.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n He added that the growth was largely organic, and not the result of extraordinary incentive payouts.<\/p>\n \u201cThis 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,\u201d he said, adding that strike calls did not dent demand.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 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 \u20b9100 crore on a single day,\u201d a top executive said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Another executive pointed out that rider participation remained strong precisely because of the earning opportunity.<\/p>\n \u201cAll delivery workers were available to fulfil deliveries. In fact, if strikes had happened, it would have resulted in a loss of over \u20b9100 crore to delivery workers\u2014no one wanted to miss out on that,\u201d the executive said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The surge highlights how instant commerce has become a core part of urban consumption behaviour, especially during festivals and celebrations.<\/p>\n For food delivery and quick commerce companies, New Year\u2019s Eve is among the most important days of the year, often rivalled only by major festivals such as Diwali.<\/p>\n Key reasons include:<\/p>\n Peak demand during evening and late-night hours<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Higher average order values<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Greater frequency of impulse purchases<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Willingness among consumers to pay convenience premiums<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n These factors make NYE a crucial stress test for logistics networks\u2014and a major earning opportunity for gig workers.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The New Year\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n However, industry observers note that sustaining such earnings outside festive windows will depend on:<\/p>\n Order growth consistency<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Platform incentive strategies<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Regulatory clarity on gig employment<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n For now, the record payouts underline one clear takeaway: despite strike calls and operational concerns, India\u2019s app-based delivery ecosystem entered 2026 on a strong and resilient footing.<\/p>\n Record New Year\u2019s 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 \u20b9100 crore to gig workers on New Year\u2019s Eve (NYE), as order volumes surged to all-time highs, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[615],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[1331],"class_list":{"0":"post-19400","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-stock-market-news"}," _eael_post_view_count":0,"authors":[{"term_id":1331,"user_id":4,"is_guest":0,"slug":"sourabh","display_name":"Sourabh Sharma","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/trending.niftytrader.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Sourabh-Sharma.png","url2x":"https:\/\/trending.niftytrader.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Sourabh-Sharma.png"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19400"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19400\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19402,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19400\/revisions\/19402"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19400"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=19400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Incentives and demand both drive higher earnings<\/h2>\n
Zomato parent Eternal reports all-time high orders<\/h2>\n
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Strike calls fail to disrupt operations<\/h2>\n
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Quick commerce sees sharp jump in festive demand<\/h2>\n
Why New Year\u2019s Eve remains critical for platforms<\/h2>\n
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What this means for the gig economy debate<\/h2>\n
Outlook: festive resilience, but structural questions remain<\/h2>\n
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