Great Online Shopping Festival (GOSF): What It Was and Sales to Watch Now

The Great Online Shopping Festival (GOSF) was Google India’s big online sale day, first held on 12 December 2012, a catchy 12/12/12. Here is what GOSF was, why Google ended it, and which online sale festivals Indian shoppers watch for instead in 2026.

Quick answer: GOSF was an annual online shopping event run by Google India with hundreds of Indian shopping sites, starting in December 2012. Google announced in November 2015 that it was ending GOSF, saying Indian e-commerce had grown and stores now ran their own deal days. Today the biggest online sales in India are the stores’ own festivals, such as Flipkart’s Big Billion Days and Amazon’s Great Indian Festival.

What was the Great Online Shopping Festival (GOSF)?

In December 2012, Google India hosted the first Great Online Shopping Festival together with many popular Indian shopping portals. The event was heavily publicised across India to encourage people to shop online and to bring in first-time online buyers with big discounts on popular products.

The shopping partners included well-known Indian sites of the time such as Flipkart, eBay, Indiatimes, Croma and Yebhi, and the products ranged from electronics to jewellery to books. Deals of up to 40% off on selected products were listed on dedicated landing pages, with the offers going live on 12 December itself.

Google promoted it along the lines of Cyber Monday, the big US online sale day after Black Friday, so in India it was often called Cyber Wednesday. Google India also ran short promotional videos for it, like this GOSF promo video (external site). My advice back then was simple: log in to your favourite shopping sites on 12 December, because it was going to rain discounts online.

Why Google ended GOSF

GOSF ran for a few years, and in November 2015 Google announced it was saying goodbye to the festival. Its reasons, as reported at the time:

• Indian e-commerce had grown fast, and Google felt it had done its part to help.
• Many online stores now ran their own deal days, so shoppers no longer had to wait a whole year for good offers.
• Small and medium sellers no longer needed a GOSF site to reach customers across India.

Online shopping festivals in India in 2026

The big sale events are now run by the stores themselves, usually around Diwali and other festivals, with smaller sales through the year:

• Flipkart (external site) Big Billion Days: Flipkart’s largest annual sale, held in the festive season.
• Amazon.in (external site) Great Indian Festival: Amazon India’s festive-season sale.
• Store sales and bank offers: most big shopping sites and apps run their own seasonal sales, often with extra card discounts.

Sale dates change every year, so check each store’s own app or website for the official dates instead of trusting forwarded messages. To make the most of any sale, follow these tips to get the best deals in any online shopping festival, and see our list of the best online shopping sites in India.

Shop safely during big sales

• Buy from the official store app or website, and be careful with “sale” links sent over WhatsApp, SMS or email.
• Compare the sale price with the normal price across a couple of stores before you buy.
• Check the seller, warranty and return policy, especially for phones and electronics.

FAQ

When was the first Great Online Shopping Festival?

The first GOSF was held on 12 December 2012 (12/12/12), organised by Google India with many Indian online stores.

Is GOSF still held?

No. Google announced in November 2015 that it was ending the Great Online Shopping Festival.

Why was GOSF called Cyber Wednesday?

Google modelled it on Cyber Monday in the US, and 12 December 2012 fell on a Wednesday.

What replaced GOSF?

The stores’ own sales, such as Flipkart’s Big Billion Days and Amazon’s Great Indian Festival, now play that role.