Bhai Dooj 2022: How gifting pattern has evolved over generations?

Bhai Dooj 2022:  Sahil Saxena, 26, stays away from home, but no matter what, he will be at his home in Delhi on the day of Bhai Dooj every year to celebrate the same with his sister. This is the story of millions of siblings across India who try their best to be together on this day. And any celebration is incomplete without the exchange of gifts and Bhai Dooj is no different. But with time the patterns of gifting on Bhai Dooj have also changed.

The craze for electronic items  

Debolina Sanyal, 28, a resident of Kolkata recalls how she used to gift shirts, and jeans to her brothers and cousins on this day, but now she has bought smart watches for her brothers. According to the data produced by various e-commerce platforms, the sale of electronic items exponentially goes up during this time.

We reached out to various individuals within the age group of 20 to 45 and seven out of ten individuals suggested that they would prefer gifting some electronic items to their siblings.

Be it laptops, audio devices, or smartphones, the demand for most electronic devices spiked on the eve of Bhai Dooj. As per the data produced by Flipkart, Eelectronic devices, including laptops, true wireless audio devices, and smartwatches, saw over 20 per cent growth, with the student community driving the majority of the demand. The company also clarified that premium mobile phones costing Rs. 20,000 and upwards comprised almost 50 per cent of the total mobiles sold. More than 44 per cent of the buyers of premium mobile phones came from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.

Even Amazon India confirmed that as 5G smartphones become more affordable, the mid-range price segment saw a strong uptake here with around 80 per cent sold in the sub 15k category. According to Amazon India, laptops, wearables, headphones, and tablets were the most loved products with HP, boAt, Lenovo, Asus, Apple, Fireboltt, Noise, and Sony being the preferred brands.

Even some of the local electronic shops stated that on the eve of Bhai Dooj, there is an upsurge in the sale of affordable electronic items.

E-vouchers are the best alternatives  

While giving out cash has always been one of the most preferred alternatives for gifts, these days a lot of people prefer to gift e-vouchers from Amazon, Flipkart, Ajio, and other e-commerce platforms as an alternative to gifts.

The gifting patterns of individuals have been evolving rapidly over the past few years with gift cards emerging as one of the most preferred mediums as it offers the flexibility to choose from a wide assortment of goods to purchase from and get it delivered anywhere in the country.

“During the festive period(Sep-Oct), we saw nearly 60 per cent increase in customers opting for gift cards over the same period last year. These gift cards were mainly bought for occasions such as Rakshabandhan, Diwali, and Birthdays, and we have seen nearly a 30 per cent increase in average spending on gift cards during the festive period year over last year," mentioned the spokesperson of Flipkart.