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The credit should go to Karan Johar and his Bollywood buddies for popularising KarvaChauth — a North Indian ritual where a woman fasts for longevity of her spouse from sunrise to moonrise .
And, if movies can turn ritual into a spectacle, can brands be far behind? So, it’s not just Diwali, Holi, Dasara or Christmas ,Karva Chauth too has become a marketer’s delight.
With an eye on millennials such as 27-year old Devyani Pradhan, a professional in Mumbai who is observing her first Karva Chauth, on offer are at-your-door mehendi services, and pooja thali, sweets and flowers, as also a variety of deals from e-tailers and beauty parlours.
Says Pradhan: “...I went to a salon, my bill was over ₹2,000, but I got a scratch card and ₹700 off.” Pradhan is also contemplating buying some jewellery from Reliance Jewels, which is offering zero making-charges on this occasion.
UrbanClap Vice-President (Customer and Brand Experience) Suhail Vadgaonkar told BusinessLine : “Last year, we offered mehendi services, but could not get more than a hundred customers on Karva Chauth day. This year, we scaled it up across five cities — NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru — by getting customers to book for mehendi through our app. Since October 11, we have inked over 3,000 customers.”
He added that the mehendi customers were offered discount vouchers for salon-at-home grooming (the firm’s core activity) and Diwali cleaning.
Ethnic apparel brand BIBA also offered free mehendi for customers at select stores.
Some companies such as fashion jewellery brand Voylla have been targeting not just women but also men, who may pick up jewellery as gifts. Voylla retails online through its website Voylla.com, app and via marketplaces like Flipkart, Amazon and Myntra, and offline through exclusive and multi-brand outlets.
Jagriti Shingri, Co-Founder and CTO, Voylla, said that the brand brought out special jewellery lines in the run-up to the ritual. A line of an affordable precious stone silver jewellery was bundled with free movie tickets from BookMyShow or free spa and salon packages as a limited-period offer.
Shringi said the offers were designed keeping in mind young couples, who look at Karva Chauth like Valentine’s Day.
“Sales surged 400 per cent in the run-up to Karva Chauth compared to the same period last year. As it comes just ahead of Diwali, consumers in a festive mood are willing to splurge,” she added.
(With inputs from Virendra Pandit in Ahmedabad and Navadha Pandey and Meenakshi Verma Ambwani in Delhi)
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