- 6% of Snapdeal’s active sellers now hail from Gujarat, contributing 34.9% of all-India sales
- Project Gati offers new sellers a 45-day festive-season launchpad with zero commission, ad credits and AI tools
- Snap&Shop crosses 1 million monthly image searches as conversational AI transforms fashion discovery across Bharat
- Ahmedabad and Surat emerge as key sourcing engines for denim, apparel, ethnic wear and fashion-led categories
NE BUSINESS BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, AUG 28
From Ahmedabad’s denim and menswear clusters to Surat’s vast ethnic-wear ecosystem, Gujarat is fast emerging as one of Snapdeal’s most powerful engines of digital commerce—with its active seller base nearly tripling in just one year and the state now accounting for nearly a third of the marketplace’s active sellers.
The surge comes as value-fashion marketplace Snapdeal doubles down on Gujarat’s manufacturing and entrepreneurial ecosystem ahead of the festive shopping season, launching Project Gati, a 45-day seller acceleration programme designed to help new businesses get marketplace-ready, attract their first customers and scale during the high-demand festive period.
At the same time, Snapdeal has unveiled a new suite of AI-powered fashion discovery tools, signalling a broader shift in how consumers across Bharat search for and purchase fashion online—from uploading an image of an outfit they like to describing what they want in everyday language.
The Gujarat numbers underline the growing importance of the state to Snapdeal’s national marketplace. Its active seller base in Gujarat has grown nearly 3X over the past year, with the state now accounting for 31.6% of Snapdeal’s all-India active seller base and contributing 34.9% of all-India sales.
Gujarat’s deep and diversified manufacturing and sourcing ecosystem is helping fuel this expansion, bringing a broad range of products onto the platform and enabling local businesses to reach customers far beyond their traditional markets.
Ahmedabad has emerged as a key sourcing hub for denims, men’s shirts, men’s trousers, T-shirts, women’s kurtis and kids’ clothing sets, while Surat remains a strong base for women’s ethnic wear, including sarees, salwar suits, kurtis, lehengas, gowns and ethnic fabrics, besides a wide variety of men’s and children’s apparel.
Project Gati: Turning festive demand into seller growth
With festive shopping already underway and demand expected to build through Diwali, Project Gati seeks to lower the entry barriers for new sellers and equip them with the tools needed to establish themselves quickly on the marketplace.
Participating sellers will receive five key benefits during the 45-day programme:
- Advertising credits with zero commission: Sellers will receive free advertising credits to improve product visibility and generate their initial orders, alongside Snapdeal’s zero-commission marketplace model.
- Faster payment cycles: Shorter payment cycles are aimed at strengthening working capital, enabling quicker inventory replenishment and allowing sellers to reinvest faster.
- AI-led cataloguing: Snapdeal’s SnapList AI helps sellers create and enrich detailed product catalogues, improving product presentation and discoverability.
- Trend and marketplace intelligence: Sellers gain access to insights into emerging fashion trends, consumer preferences, popular product attributes, price points and demand patterns to help them build sharper assortments.
- Priority support: Dedicated assistance during the first 45 days is designed to help new sellers navigate marketplace operations, address issues and establish their businesses on the platform.
AI turns fashion search into a conversation
As fashion continues to account for the largest share of Snapdeal’s sales, the company is also betting heavily on AI to simplify product discovery for consumers who may not know the exact keywords needed to find what they want.
Its AI-powered visual search tool, “Snap&Shop,” allows shoppers to upload a photograph or screenshot of an outfit they like. The technology analyses the image and identifies similar products available on the marketplace.
The scale of visual discovery is already significant: Snap&Shop processes more than 1 million image searches every month.
Snapdeal has also introduced conversational search powered by Large Language Models (LLMs), allowing consumers to search in natural language rather than depend on precise product keywords.
A shopper can simply type, “I need a kurti for Raksha Bandhan under ₹700” or “comfortable shirts for office in summer”, with the AI interpreting the shopper’s intent, occasion, budget and context.
The platform now processes more than 5 million AI-assisted conversational searches every month, highlighting the growing role of AI in everyday shopping journeys.
The personalisation extends beyond search. 76% of all customer orders on Snapdeal are influenced by its AI-powered recommendation engine StyleMatch, which uses browsing behaviour, purchase history, location, style preferences and real-time interactions to tailor product recommendations.
AI works behind the marketplace, too
Snapdeal’s AI push extends from customer discovery to seller operations and post-purchase efficiency.
SnapList AI supports sellers with catalogue creation and enrichment, assortment-gap identification and pricing insights. Pinpoint AI strengthens address intelligence, while Retina AI helps identify potential delivery risks and reduce returns.
The combination of seller-focused technology, consumer-facing AI and Gujarat’s manufacturing depth could give local businesses a powerful route from traditional sourcing markets to nationwide digital demand.
Commenting on the announcements, Achint Setia, CEO, Snapdeal, said, “Gujarat’s growth on Snapdeal reflects how its strong manufacturing and entrepreneurial base is increasingly translating into digital commerce. Businesses across the state are using e-commerce to move beyond traditional markets, reach consumers across Bharat and build scale.”
He added, “The growth we are seeing is particularly relevant ahead of the festive season, when demand for fashion and lifestyle products expands across geographies. Project Gati is designed to help new sellers take advantage of this opportunity with the technology, marketplace insights and support needed to get season-ready and grow.”
