Phones, watches, cameras: Diwali gift shopping is back with a bang

Two years of pandemic gloom appear over as e-commerce websites and malls report people splurging and bring them business

Archana Dhole’s plan for Diwali gifts is made: she will give plants to her friends and relatives. “No point giving sweets which are a repetition and also make people add on body weight,” said Dhole, a 52-year-old Mumbai resident. Last year, she had gifted air fryers to her closest friends.

Sitting at home, you can buy a range of gifts from Myntra, Flipkart, Amazon India and other portals offering discounts and offers. “The Amazon Great Indian Festival kicked off to an exciting start with a great response from customers and seller partners. It is encouraging to witness small and medium businesses, start-ups, artisans, women entrepreneurs offer a wide selection of products to our customers across India,” said Manish Tiwary, vice president and country manager, India Consumer Business, Amazon. According to Amazon’s data, smartphones, fashion and groceries got the most new customers during the shopping festival.

Shopping malls too are busy as visitors seek discounts and check out goods. “Home decor remains the biggest contributor to festive shopping. Even cosmetic and beauty care brands are leading contributors this year,” said Bharat Shishodia, centre director at Pacific Mall in Delhi’s Dwarka.

Gone shopping

Offline and online channels are buzzing with consumer demand for electronics and gadgets. You can get gaming laptops from HP, Lenovo and Asus, smartwatches from Noise, boAt and Firebolt, or audio products by JBL Harman, boAt, Noise, Sony, Boult, Canon and Zebronics. Entry-level wireless headphones start at Rs 699 (boAt product) and if you want to splurge there is Sony WF 1000XM4, a noise-cancelling wireless headphone for Rs 13,990.

At least nine new smartphones were launched this festive season, suiting every budget. Smartphones with 5G feature attracted customers shopping for mid-tier to premium options. On e-commerce websites, you will find smartphones for Rs 5,219 with free earphones worth Rs 499 or you can opt for ones selling for Rs 10,799. Offers on laptops start at Rs 17,990. There is 75 per cent off on smartwatches starting at Rs 999 and 60 per cent off on tablets starting at Rs 6,999, cameras by DSLR, Mirrorless, Action and Dash Camera have up to 70 discounts.

Kitchen appliances are popular as gifts. Ravi Saxena, co-founder and chief executive officer of Wonderchef, said: “This Diwali, we have exciting schemes for high-spending customers. Apart from interesting product combos, we have also announced a consumer offer, Wonderchef Lao, Paris Jao, in which customers can win an all-expenses-paid trip to Paris upon purchase of any Wonderchef product. We have added six regional warehouses to meet the festive season’s demands and are working on new partnerships with a few logistics service providers.”

For kitchenware, you can consider products from Good Earth, Fab India and Thevasa, a handicrafts company.

Skin and hair-care essentials are a big draw. You can find luxury bath hampers from brands like Forest Essentials, Kama Ayurveda, Kimirica, Bath and Body Works and more. Or makeup and grooming kits from Mamaearth, Plum, Sugar Cosmetics, RENEE, Bombay Shaving Company etc.

Diwali sentiment is back

The mood is upbeat this Diwali, rising from the past two years of the pandemic. Ferns N Petals, a gifting portal and offline store, recorded a surge in business. “Currently, we are expecting a double-digit growth rate with our online-offline model. With innovation in gifting and a more focused approach towards quality and customer experience, the market looks massive for this festive season and we are aggressively looking to grow in our premium floral and gifting category,” said Vikaas Gutgutia, managing director and founder at Ferns N Petals.

The brand has hampers of dry fruits, sweets, chocolates, personalised gift sets, pooja thalis, and silver coins.

The company’s premium flower bouquets and cake hampers come in a price range of Rs 399 to Rs 4,999. “Cakes and flowers remain our top-selling categories and we foresee an exponential growth of 40 per cent. Also, in the corporate gifting segment, we are expecting to touch 60 per cent growth over last year along with a spike in the number of orders up to 2-3 times higher over the year 2020,” said Gutgutia.

This festive season is expected to outperform pre-pandemic profit levels, said a senior executive of DLF Retail, which runs a chain of luxury malls. “The consumer sentiment is upbeat and one can see that with the footfalls across our properties. From jewellery and accessories to beauty, consumers are looking for gifts that hold sentimental values. We have already reached 20-30 per cent over as compared to the pre-Covid levels and this festive season, we are going to jump by another 20-25 per cent in terms of sales. This festive season is going to be explosive on the back of not only festivities but also weddings,” said Pushpa Bector, executive director at DLF Retail.

As you select gifts, consider attractive packaging for them. Brands are focused on stylish wrapping, packing and curated boxes. Companies that include Ferns N Petals use sustainable and eco-friendly packaging made of jute, natural glass, and cotton. Corporate gift ideas include assorted dry fruits, cash in hand or bonus, Bonsai tree, electronics, goodies hamper, gift cards and household essentials.

Finally, choose with your head and heart. As they say, the best gifts come from the heart, not the store.

Source: Market Research