Instant hit: 60,000 Maggi 12-packs sold in 5 minutes on Snapdeal

Returning to the market after a five-month hiatus, Maggi sold 60,000 'welcome kits' of 12 packs each in five minutes flat through its online tie-up with Snapdeal, as consumers thronged the e-commerce platform to lap up their 2-minute noodles.

Earlier this week, Snapdeal had announced that it will sell Nestle's Maggi via a unique "flash sale model" as the noodles brand made a comeback. Maggi had been banned after it was allegedly found to have lead content beyond permissible limits.

While registrations for Maggi's welcome kit (containing 12 packs of Maggi, a 2016 Maggi calendar, a Maggi fridge magnet, Maggi post cards and a 'Welcome Back' letter) opened on 9 November, the sale began today on Snapdeal.

"Snapdeal sold out the first batch of 60,000 kits within five minutes of Maggi Flash Sale going live today. There has been much anticipation for the return of one of the favourite Indian brands and we have witnessed a phenomenal response to this sale from customers across the country," Snapdeal senior vice president (partnerships and strategic initiatives) Tony Navin said.

Flash sales or deal-of-the-day is an e-commerce business model in which a website offers a single product for sale for a limited period of time. Potential customers have to register to avail the deal.

A new batch of Maggi Welcome Kits will go on sale from 18 November. Maggi has been re-launched in 100 towns through 300-odd distributors and is being rolled out in a staggered manner across the country, except in eight states where it is still not allowed.

The popular brand of noodles had passed tests by three government-accredited laboratories, as ordered by the Bombay High Court, which in August had lifted ban on the instant noodles that was imposed by food safety regulators.

Maggi was banned in June by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) which stated that it was "unsafe and hazardous" for consumption due to presence of lead beyond permissible limits. The company had withdrawn the noodles brand from the market.