 "Hampers to experiences in India Inc's gift basket for the festival season")
With the festival season around the corner, India Inc has turned on its gifting mode. Imaginative hampers are being packed and readied for dispatch to their most valued clients.
“We’ve delivered over 200,000 gift hampers for top companies, including fintech majors Paytm and Razorpay, FMCG leaders like Danone and P&G, and hospitality giants such as Westin and Marriott,” says Vidushi Kajaria, co-founder of Eat Better Co, a Jaipur-based healthy snacking brand. The Dussehra-Diwali season accounts for nearly 20 per cent of the company’s annual revenue.
If Eat Better Co is giving a modern twist to traditional snacks, French wine and spirits firm Pernod Ricard is adding 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’s name in the native language of the state it is sold in.
Hospitality major Hilton, meanwhile, has introduced “Khushiyan by Hilton”, a collection of premium hampers. Costing Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000, it comes with snacks like beetroot crisps, spiced makhana, and items like Channapatna toys and a bottle of red wine.
Similarly, Taj Hotels is offering hampers starting at Rs 3,100, which include Ganesha idols and gourmet snacks. Go up the range and there are those starting at Rs 25,100, which come with a silver idol of Ganesha and assortments like hazelnut or cocoa truffles along with beeswax candles. Its most premium hampers, priced at Rs 1.11 lakh and Rs 2.51 lakh, include silver coins, silver-plated coaster sets, Kashmiri saffron, an Apple air tag each, and so on.
However, for some corporations, gifting is about more than material hampers — it’s about offering unique experiences. “We offer special clients something that stands out, like a luxurious spa voucher or an intimate dinner reservation. It’s about personalisation and showing we care in a way no one else does,” shares a hospitality executive who preferred to remain anonymous.
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Bala Sarda, founder and CEO of premium tea brand Vahdam, says corporate gifting is a crucial part of the company’s festive strategy. Its assorted tea packages cost between Rs 449 and Rs 2,499.
PVR-backed snacking brand 4700BC, meanwhile has combinations like gourmet popcorn, makhana, chocolate-coated nuts, and Diwali-themed playing cards. “Corporate gifting contributes 5 per cent to our total business in just two months,” says Chirag Gupta, founder and CEO of 4700BC, which is catering to brands like Google, Samsung, Lufthansa, and Amazon this season. “Orders have more than doubled, with many clients opting for gifts priced between Rs 2,000 and Rs 5,000.”