India, Oct. 27 -- When this year's festive season arrived, it wasn't just the quick commerce and ecommerce carts or gold marketplaces that saw a rush. A new kind of festive frenzy unfolded inside India's apartments - on quick services apps.

Platforms offering instant home services - on-demand cleaners, cooks, and domestic help available within 10-15 minutes - recorded their sharpest surge yet in October.

Industry sources say the segment collectively clocked around 8 lakh transactions this month driven by Diwali-led cleaning sprees, visiting guests, and absentee regular maids.

Leading the pack was Urban Company, which logged about 4.5 lakh transactions across four cities - Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.

That translates to...