With the festival season just around the corner, India Inc has turned on the gifting mode. Imaginative baskets are packed and prepared for shipment to their most valued customers.
“We have delivered over 200,000 gift hampers to top companies including fintech majors Paytm and Razorpay, FMCG leaders like Danone and P&G, and hospitality giants like Westin and Marriott,” said Vidushi Kajaria, co-founder of Eat Better Co, a Jaipur established brand for healthy snacks. The Dussehra-Diwali season accounts for almost 20 percent of the company’s annual turnover.
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While Eat Better Co puts a modern twist on traditional snacks, French wine and spirits company Pernod Ricard adds a cultural touch with limited edition packs of its signature 100 Pipers whisky, featuring regional calligraphy by collaborating with local artists . The packaging displays the brand name in the native language of the state in which it is sold.
Hospitality giant Hilton has now introduced ‘Khushiyan by Hilton’, a collection of premium baskets. It costs Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000 and comes with snacks like beetroot chips, spiced makhana and items like Channapatna toys and a bottle of red wine.
Similarly, Taj Hotels is offering baskets starting from Rs 3,100, which include Ganesha idols and gourmet snacks. Go further down the range and there are those that start at Rs 25,100, which come with a silver idol of Ganesha and ranges like hazelnut or cocoa truffles, along with beeswax candles. The most premium baskets, priced at Rs 1.11 lakh and Rs 2.51 lakh, include silver coins, silver-plated coaster sets, Kashmiri saffron, an Apple airtag each, and so on.
For some companies, however, gift giving is about more than material barriers; it’s about offering unique experiences. “We offer special customers something that stands out, such as a luxury spa voucher or an intimate dinner reservation. It’s about personalization and showing that we care in a way that no one else does,” says a hospitality manager who prefers to remain anonymous.
Bala Sarda, founder and CEO of premium tea brand Vahdam, says corporate gifting is a crucial part of the company’s festive strategy. The various tea packs cost between Rs 449 and Rs 2,499.
PVR-backed snack brand 4700BC, meanwhile, has combinations such as gourmet popcorn, makhana, chocolate-covered nuts and Diwali-themed playing cards. “Corporate gifting contributes 5 percent to our total revenue in just two months,” said Chirag Gupta, founder and CEO of 4700BC, which this season serves brands such as Google, Samsung, Lufthansa and Amazon. “The number of orders has more than doubled, with many customers opting for gifts priced between Rs 2,000 and Rs 5,000.”
First publication: September 27, 2024 | 6:44 PM IST