On 22 September, GST 2.0 India collapsed multiple slabs and reduced rates across key e-commerce categories. Economists framed it as fiscal reform. But inside the marketplace, something else happened: buyer psychology shifted overnight.
In August, shoppers deferred premium purchases, waiting for clarity. That created pent-up demand. Once GST 2.0 landed, the release was immediate: 32–35% YoY GMV growth in just the first two days of Amazon and Flipkart’s festive sales. But the true story wasn’t demand alone — it was how brands framed the savings and how they built their Post-GST marketing strategy.
Structural resets like GST 2.0 e-commerce impact happen maybe once a decade. Most brands will treat it as compliance. A few will treat it as positioning. Those few will exit this festive season not just richer in revenue — but stronger in brand trust.
Post-GST, consumers didn’t just want lower prices. They wanted proof. Who passed on the savings visibly, and who hid them in fine print?
Amazon and Flipkart leaned in fast, launching “GST savings offers” storefronts. Brands that mirrored this transparent pricing in e-commerce saw lifts in click-through and conversion. Those that lagged created suspicion — and in categories where trust is thin, that’s costly.
In our LOOP sprints, we tested four ad types for a D2C home brand: lifestyle, utility, testimonial, and a GST savings in advertising overlay. The winner was clear: the overlay creative dropped CAC 17% and doubled fatigue reset speed.
Another client in personal care added a “post-GST price badge” across video and display. Result: repeat orders rose 28% within 90 days, demonstrating the critical role of e-commerce retention after GST.
Lesson: price context isn’t a footnote anymore. It belongs in your e-commerce marketing strategy and creative brief.
The GST spike brought in a wave of price-sensitive buyers. Without retention systems, they’ll vanish after a single purchase. The winners will:
Survey new cohorts to tag motivation (“GST savings” vs. other drivers).
Segment retention flows so value buyers get bundles, premium buyers get exclusives.
Trigger repeat offers in 30 days, not 90.
This is how you turn a one-time tax event into a compounding LTV engine — a real e-commerce retention after GST playbook.
“Streak helped us listen to the market and respond with positioning that hit the mark. Buland became a hit from day one.”
At Streak, this is exactly what we build in our 30-Day Growth + LTV Audit: rapid creative resets tied to market shifts, and retention loops that convert opportunistic buyers into loyal customers.