With Diwali around the corner, India Inc has been on a shopping spree, and by all accounts has loosened its purse strings considerably. Brands and online platforms report a strong surge in corporate gifting orders. The big trends this year are an emphasis on sustainable gift hampers with plastic free packaging, eco-friendly presents, utilitarian items and healthier stuff. There is a strong focus on customisation and personalisation.

Most players catering to the corporate gifting segment expect strong double-digit growth. Sumit Parthi, Country B2B Manager, Ikea India told businessline, “ Last year sentiments around corporate festive gifting was a little subdued as people were just coming out of the impact of the pandemic. India Inc had seen challenges and hence lesser budgets were allocated for corporate gifting. This year we are seeing good traction coming with higher spends and larger number of corporate gifting orders. In fact, many companies closed their bulk orders nearly two months in advance.”

He said corporates were spending in the range of Rs 5,000-Rs 8,000 on gifts for business partners and clients, and for employees in the range of Rs 1,000-Rs 2,000.

“ Gift hampers, kitchen products and decorative pieces are among the categories that are being preferred. Corporates want to ensure that gifts given to employees are utilitarian in nature. A pharmaceutical company that has ordered gifts from us emphasised that it should be something that their employees use in their own homes and not recycle onwards,” Parthi added.

Ferns N Petals (FNP) stated that it expects to see a 60 per cent surge in revenues from the corporate gifting business during this Diwali season. “New-age companies are increasingly gravitating towards utilitarian gifts like electronic gadgets, high-end personalised accessories and wellness products as their top choices. These gifts not only add value to employees’ lives but also effectively promote brand recognition and goodwill,” said Neha Bisht, AVP- B2B Business at FNP in a statement.

Packaged food players are also witnessing strong demand from corporates for their gift pack ranges. Mayank Shah, Senior Category Head, Parle Products, said, “ We are witnessing good demand coming in from corporates and institutions for gift packs for their offices and factories. There is a clear shift happening from traditional sweets to branded packaged food items in terms of bulk orders. This is to ensure quality and higher shelf life. We expect to garner 8-10 per cent growth for our gifting pack range over last year.”

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