January 2016 - Woohoo Gifting Blog

Farewell gift ideas for your friend

Your friend is going abroad and you are caught in a bitter-sweet moment, bursting with pride on his achievement and, at the same time, feeling a sense of sadness that you would miss him dearly. Get him a farewell gift to celebrate this new phase in his life as he goes on to experience new places, things and adventures. Here are a few farewell gift ideas you might like to explore.

A nice and sturdy suitcase

Going abroad would call for suitcases in sizes that he might not currently possess. But how would you know the exact size and type of suitcase that would be a perfect for him? A good idea would be to get him a Shopper’s Stop or Lifestyle gift card, as that would give him the option of picking up exactly what he needs.

Good books to keep him company

Travelling overseas often demands long hours being spent at airports and on flights. It could get pretty boring if he has nothing to do to while away his time. In such times, books make good company and a perfect way to lose track of time. You could get him a Crossword, Amazon or Flipkart gift card so he could pick some books that have been on his “must-read” list for a while.

Ready-to-eat packets

Once he lands on foreign shores, there are lots of things he would miss and home food will certainly top the list. Yes! Comfort food is what he will need when he misses home. Get him a gift card from Spencer’s or Big Bazaar so that he could stock up on some ready-to-eat Indian food packets to take with him.

Apparel

A different place would also mean a different climate he would have to brace. This could require him to buy now clothes in-keeping with the demands of the new place and climate. Get your friend a gift card from Shopper’s Stop, Lifestyle or Central. He could go pick a nice jacket or shorts and shirts, depending on where he’s heading.

Miscellaneous needs

You know you want to gift him something useful for him but not too sure about exactly what he needs at the moment? No problem! You could just gift him a Woohoo gift card which he could use across a wide range of brands across different categories to get himself exactly what he wants. This way, both he and you would be happy you gifted him a farewell gift that is useful and not something he would have had to leave behind.

Note: Image is from thecolourjournal.com. Copyright vests with respective copyright holders.

(Post updated on 19 Jan 2016)

Housewarming gift ideas everyone will love!

Housewarming is a special event in most people’s lives. It is a moment of pride and happiness and a culmination of a huge endeavor not only in monetary terms but sheer physical effort and emotional investment. A beautiful gift to mark this moment would reflect your thoughtfulness and joy in their celebration. Here are some housewarming gift ideas everyone will love.

Kitchen ware: The kitchen is the heart of a house. A new crockery set, spice rack, non-stick set, cook and serve ware etc would be a nice addition in the new home. A gift card from Prestige Smart Kitchen, Amazon or Flipkart would be a good idea as the host can select the exact item that would serve the functional and aesthetic requirements of her kitchen.

Bed linen: A new home could do with a dash of colour. Fresh new bed linen would brighten up any bedroom. A gift card from Shopper’s Stop or Lifestyle would be perfect for gifting this as they offer a wide range of design and colour options for bed linen.

Art: Wall hangings, vases, sculptures and other decorative items in silver, wood, ceramic etc convert a house into a home. A gift card from Pantaloons, Westside or Central would give them the choice of buying beautiful things that add a touch of class to the new home.

Home furnishings: Have your friends been considering cushions, curtains or other furnishings for their new home? Then a gift card from @Home or Home Stop would be ideal, where there can choose the colour and fabric of their liking.

Appliances: Small home appliances always make great gifts. Be it a cool toaster, an espresso machine or sandwich maker, gift your friends a gift card from Croma or E-zone to give them the freedom and flexibility to choose the appliances of their choice.

Want to give them even more choices? Gift them a Woohoo gift card, which they could use to pick a gift card from the brands of their own choice from Woohoo.in.

Note: Image is from blovelyevents.com and burntapple.com. Copyright vests with respective copyright holders.

(Post updated on 13 Jan 2016)

This Pongal, celebrate the joy of giving and receiving.

Pongal is a four day post-harvest festival, celebrated with great pomp in Tamil Nadu and by Tamilians the world over. On the first day of celebrations, called ‘Bhogi’, many families get rid of old household items and buy new things, marking the beginning of a new lifecycle. On the second day, called ‘Pongal’, Surya or the Sun god is worshipped for being the benefactor of this world and agriculture in particular. Rice and milk are prepared in vessels till they boil over, signifying the overflow of abundance. The third day is called ‘Maattu Pongal’, when cows are worshipped for their bountiful milk. On the fourth day called ‘Kanum Pongal’, people visit friends and relatives and enjoy in the festivities.

During Pongal, new clothes are worn, friends are relatives are invited to gala feasts and gifts are exchanged. This Pongal, instead of the traditional gifts, gift something that’s different and thoughtful to your friends and family.

Gift cards, gift vouchers and e-gift vouchers from Woohoo.in can make gifting easy and a fun experience, both for the sender and the recipient of gifts. Gift cards are also ideal, especially if one’s family and relatives live far away. They can be easily ordered online, from within the comforts of your home, and delivered at your loved ones’ doorsteps.

Woohoo.in has a range of top brands, across different categories for you to choose from. You could choose to gift your parents a fine dining or a spa experience with gift cards from brands like Mainland China, Copper Chimney, Four Fountains Spa and the like. Or you could gift your brother his choice of books, electronics, watches with a Flipkart or Amazon gift cards. If you’d like to give them the choice with the brands as well, you could do so by gifting them a Woohoo gift card which enables them to use it for purchasing gift cards from the brands of their choice. They could also use the card via the Woohoo app and shop across a wide range of stores both online and physical ones.

Yes, Woohoo now has an app too! If you’d like to make your gifting more personal and instant, you could download the Woohoo app and send an electronic gift card to your loved ones within minutes. That’s not just it. You could also personalize it with your selfies or photographs of old memories from your gallery, a voice note and a text. All this delivered instantly from your mobile to theirs via whatsapp, SMS or email. Try it out today and set a new gifting trend this Pongal!

Note: Image is from india-daily.com .Copyright vests with respective copyright holders.

(Post updated on 7 Jan 2016)

Welcome a new beginning on Makar Sankranti!

The whole of India celebrates Makar Sankranti, or the Harvest Festival. This day marks the transition of the Sun into the Makara rashi (Capricorn). The festival is celebrated as Sankranti (in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal), Pongal in (Tamil Nadu), Bihu (in Assam) and Maghi (in Punjab & Himachal Pradesh). For millions of people, it’s a colorful, joyous festival; the coming home of fresh harvest and a new beginning all over.

Many villages in India host carnivals and fairs during Makar Sankranti. Every house is spring-cleaned and decorated with leaves and flower garlands. In many houses special Makar Sankranti dishes are prepared. People visit their friends and relatives with gifts and sweets as per the local customs. There is a wonderful energy in the air on this festival that brings renewed hope and joy to people’s hearts.

On this day, make it a point to wish your friends and family members and gift them a surprise. Think in terms of gift cards, gift vouchers or e-gift vouchers from brands that signify new beginnings. Gift cards from @Home, Home Stop and the like would be ideal for your loved ones to select home décor and furnishing items. Gift cards for electronics from brands like Croma, E-zone, Reliance, Viveks also make good gifting options. For your immediate family, Jewellery gift cards from brands like Tanishq and Joyalukkas would be extremely apt for an auspicious new beginning.

Note: Image is from manitomer.com .Copyright vests with respective copyright holders.

(Post updated on 7 Jan 2016)

Gifts to ring in the new, this Lohri!

If you’re from Punjab, Haryana or Delhi , you’re probably looking forward to the colourful Lohri festival with great anticipation.

Lohri is a delightful celebration of the harvest season. For both, the farmers and those who consume his produce, this is a very important day indeed. On this day people pay homage to the natural elements -fire, earth, water, wind and earth. After all, we owe our very survival to these elements. The festival of Lohri teaches us to respect nature and thank her for the myriad blessings received over the past year. Offerings of delicacies made of rewri, peanuts, butter, flour and corn are made to God and nature in thanksgiving for all the blessings received.

Lohri is also considered as the beginning of the financial New Year. It marks an important day for farmers, investors and business people as well.

People also offer gifts to one another on Lohri, to share their delight at the beginning of another year. A New Year signifies the beginning of many things – for some people it’s the beginning of a new phase of life, new resolutions, new hopes and aspirations. For some others, it is marked by discarding the old and welcoming the new.

This Lohri help your loved ones usher in the new by gifting them something they would truly love and cherish – gift cards, gift vouchers or e-gift vouchers from their favorite brands. Think Titan or Helios for watches or clocks to mark the New Year, Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, Allen Solly, Marks & Spencer and the link for additions to their new wardrobe; or perhaps, you’d like to gift someone gift cards from Prestige Smart kitchen, @Home, Home Stop and the like for their home and kitchen requirements.

After all, it’s Lohri – one of the most special occasions of the year to share with your loved ones. Make the best of it by sending your gift cards today. To send one right away, hop on to Woohoo.in!

Note: Image is from greatindianjourney.com .Copyright vests with respective copyright holders.

(Post updated on 7 Jan 2016)

Qwikcilver Eyes Rs 2,000-cr Gift Cards by March-end

As appeared in The Economic Times on 6th January 2016 by Madhav Chanchani.

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Riding on the back of the fast growing Indian etailing market, gifting card solutions provider Qwikcilver sees the value of active cards on its platform reach . 2,000 crore by the end of March.` The company, which counts Amazon among its investors, expects to increase this value further five fold in the next three years.

Qwikcilver has over 150 brands on board, of which 30% are online players. Two years ago, online pla yers accounted for 10% of the brands on its platform. With proliferation of online brands, Qwikcilver also sees the share of digital gift cards increasing to 60% in three years from 20% now.

“We have 1.2-crore active gift cards in circulation, which we expect to increase to 2 crore by March,“ said Pratap TP, chief mar keting officer at Qwikcilver. Pratap cofounded the company along with Kumar Sudarshan in 2008.

Pratap said the weighted average value of cards is `. 2,500. Qwikcilver, which is backed by venture capital firms Accel Partners and Helion Venture Partners, charges merchants 1% to 3.5% of the activation value of cards.

While Flipkart was one its first ecommerce clients, the firm also has Cleartrip, Snapdeal, MakeMyTrip, Amazon, Hoopos.com and Yepme among its clients. The firm sells gift cards of Amazon and other brands online.

The gift-cards category has become one of the fastest growing segments for etailers. According to Amazon, the cards retail and corporate businesses has seen a 500% year-on-year growth in India.

For Qwikcilver, growth was not easy in the initial years. “We believe this growth should have happened three years ago,“ said Pratap.

The company raised $10 million in a round led by Amazon in December 2014.

Qwikcilver’s co-founders, Kumar and Pratap, featured on Zee Business

The co-founders of Qwikcilver Solutions Pvt Ltd, Kumar Sudarshan and Pratap TP, featured on Zee Business’ Kool Startups, The Big Idea.

The video highlights Kumar and Pratap’s entrepreneurial journey – the idea behind starting Qwikcilver to the inception and growth of Woohoo.in (Qwikcilver’s e-commerce platform that houses and offers gift cards from the country’s leading brands) and the Woohoo gifting app.

Besides sharing the details of their journey and acknowledging the role of the tremendous support they received from their family and friends in helping them build Qwikcilver to what it is today, Kumar and Pratap also share details of the complex yet sophisticated and seamless technology that they use to power and support the extensive and varied gift card programmes of partner companies (big players spanning across both the offline and online world).

The duo also provide some insights into the the adoption of the gift cards in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, the revenue models for B2B and B2C businesses and the plans of expansion in the coming years.