Our Diwali Gifting Diaries

Each year, India’s festive season ushers in a surge of economic activity and consumption. According to a 2024 survey by LocalCircles (as highlighted in an article by Business Standard)  Indian households were expected to spend an estimated ₹1.2 trillion between September and October, with an additional surge projected in the ten days leading up to Diwali. The study, based on inputs from over 31,000 urban households across 314 districts, highlights that gifting remains a major driver of this seasonal expenditure.

Yet, the inconvenient truth behind the celebration often goes unspoken, which is the enormous waste generated from plastic-packaged gifts and disposable materials that end up in landfills.

Amid the consumption-driven festive surge, Bare Necessities’ eco-friendly gift hampers demonstrated that environmental responsibility can seamlessly integrate into traditional gifting practices.

This Diwali, for the first time, Bare Necessities launched its festive hampers on Swiggy Instamart and other e-commerce platforms, extending its reach beyond traditional retail and bulk corporate gifting. The move proved transformative, and was a huge success for a small growing business like us!

Through collaborations and distributions via Swiggy Instamart and Blinkit, our sustainable hampers were made available across five major cities: Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Kolkata, and Bengaluru! Bringing sustainable hampers as a valid option at our fingertips! The response exceeded expectations, with over 2000 hampers sold via these platforms alone, contributing to a total of 32,000+ Diwali orders through e-commerce platforms.

The team dispatched close to 7,000 eco-friendly hampers for bulk gifting, with bestsellers including The Sustainable Gentleman’s Hamper and The Empower Her Gift Box.

We noticed that the buyers today are increasingly comfortable spending ₹800–₹1,000 on sustainable hampers through quick-commerce platforms. It indicates a growing trust in digital platforms for last-minute gifting and a willingness to adopt eco-friendly choices when they are accessible, convenient, and aesthetically appealing.

Chief Sales Officer Deepti Kharbanda at Bare Necessities reflected on the innovation behind this year’s packaging:

“This Diwali we took a bold step in creating a mono-material packaging. While we were creating awareness on eco-friendly packaging options, the customers truly loved the fusion of glam with sustainability. What was even more interesting was that some clients still wanted the O.G. corrugated box packaging that is completely biodegradable, cost effective & carries our brand ethos right on the cover! While the demand for edibles & aroma products along with Bare Necessities goodies was consistent in most orders, we had our partners covering us on that front with dark chocolates, dry fruits & aromatherapy wellness.”

How We Customised Bulk Orders for Our Clients

To make each hamper truly personal and brand-aligned, Bare Necessities offered a range of thoughtful customisations for bulk orders. These included:

• Personalised gift cards and handwritten notes, adding a warm, human touch to every package.
• Custom-designed brand sleeves and circular tags, ensuring brand identity was seamlessly integrated with our zero-waste aesthetic.
• Curated hampers featuring select products from partner brands, thoughtfully combined with Bare Necessities’ own sustainable range to meet specific client requests.

This season also marked the debut of two premium soaps Sunset Waves and Saffron Bliss,  which quickly emerged as customer favourites. Interestingly, many buyers purchased these products as gifts rather than for personal use, revealing a subtle consumer insight: gifting often becomes a vehicle for aspirational, value-driven consumption.

Key Takeaways and Emerging Trends

1. Scalability of Sustainability
Bare Necessities demonstrated that zero-waste production can scale without compromising values. With 5,000+ hampers distributed, sustainability proved viable even at high volumes. Despite the shorter festive window, the team successfully scaled operations to meet rising demand, dispatching thousands of hampers while maintaining quality and sustainability standards.

2. Emotional Economics of Gifting
Consumers tend to spend more on gifts for others than on themselves, signalling that sustainability is evolving into an aspirational lifestyle choice rather than a niche concern.

3. Trust in Quick Commerce
Platforms such as Swiggy Instamart have made eco-friendly gifting immediate and accessible, solving the “last-minute gifting” problem while maintaining ethical values.

4. Visibility Matters
Bare Necessities’ homepage placement on quick-commerce apps during Diwali brought sustainable products into mainstream visibility,  a significant moment when eco-friendly gifting moved from the margins to the centre of festive retail.

At Bare Necessities we aim to align with evolving consumer ethics and also reaffirm a simple truth that when sustainability is made convenient, stylish, and meaningful, it becomes a preferred choice! As a small business, we are so proud to have made this possible, and absolutely grateful to the customers who believe in our products and our social and environmental impact!