In Indian festivals gifts are a representation of culture, celebrated with great enthusiasm within India and by the Indian diaspora around the world. Festive gifts are an essential aspect of the celebrations, as they add to the spirit and warmth. Festive packaging is like the icing on the cake.
Packaging South Asia visited the bustling Sector 18 market in Noida, Delhi-NCR, to get a first-hand feel of the different kinds of packaging and offers that are trending this year. Diwali is associated with brightness and light and aligning with the theme, the packaging materials have vibrant colors such as red, gold, yellow, orange, and green. These colors symbolize prosperity, luck, and the celebration of light over darkness.
We divided the visit into three sections. The first one was the high-end market around the Sector 18 metro station, which forms the bulk of the sector. Next was the Atta market across the road, the common man’s market, where the pooja essentials for Karva Chauth, neatly packaged in plastic wraps, stood out. Last was the Great India Place mall, replete with special edition packs and offers.
At the high-end marketplace, we visited Haldiram’s, whose USP was its beautiful gift packaging for a range of assorted products. A major change is the gift baskets – the original bamboo has now been replaced by paperboard embroidered and wrapped in a PE sheet. Another interesting find was at the liquor store nearby, where Jack Daniel’s, a global whisky manufacturer, has come up with a luxurious carton-based packaging with two glasses sold at MRP of the bottle. Luxurious cartons for festive offerings are the norm for alcohol packagers.
The Great India Place mall didn’t present any major difference on the surface but the Reliance Smart supermarket in the basement had an entire section for festive offerings. Biscuits in special edition packs, assorted sweets and snacks in a variety of paper-based boxes and stand-up paper bags, daily cooking essentials packed together as combo offerings at reduced prices, and the much-sought-after ‘buy-one, get-one-free’ offers covering the shelves.
