Gifts Archives - Woohoo Gifting Blog

Valentine’s Day gifts for that special someone

With Valentine’s Day just round the corner and the atmosphere abuzz with all things red and pink, you would love to let that special someone know how much he or she means to you. But the hunt for the perfect Valentine’s Day gifts could be quite a challenge because, surely, your loved one deserves nothing but the “best”.

So what could make the best Valentine’s Day gifts?

Chocolates, roses, soft toys, perfumes, jewellery sets…ah! You’ve done it all! Why not gift something that’s unique and create memories you both will cherish for a lifetime? Well, that’s exactly what you’re looking for, right? Be it gifts for him or her, we’ve got some good valentine gift ideas right here!

A hamper full of surprises

Imagine we tell you that it’s possible to surprise your loved one that morning with the entire day’s plan, that you’ve so lovingly chalked out, literally on the cards? Too good to be true? With Woohoo, this is just as good as it is true!

Here’s what you do:

Hop on to Woohoo.in and browse through a range of gift cards across different categories that you would like to select to create the gift cards hamper for your loved one.

If a nice coffee and brunch date is how you plan to start your Valentine’s Day with your loved one, you could choose to pick a Costa Coffee gift card.

Heading for a movie next? Pick a PVR cinemas gift card.

For the lunch date, you could choose gift cards from Mainland China, Oh! Calcutta, Spaghetti Kitchen and the like, depending on your loved one’s choice of cuisine.

If spending some quality time going shopping together is part of your plan, you could select gift cards from Shopper’s Stop, Lifestyle, Marks & Spencer, Westside and more. If online shopping is what is preferred, you could choose from Amazon or Myntra gift cards.

And before you wrap up that perfect day with an exquisite dinner experience, you could choose to unwind with your loved one at a spa or salon, with gift cards from the Four Fountains Spa or Lakme salon.

Is there more?

Yes! You could chose to have all of this personalized and delivered to your loved one’s mobile in an instant. With the Woohoo app, you could send your loved one an e-gift card that could be used across all of this without having to carry the physical gift cards. You could also add a photograph of the two of you, record a voice message and put it in text and have all of this delivered in a matter of seconds, directly from your mobile to theirs, via Whatsapp, SMS or email.

Now, that’s the perfect Valentine’s Day gifts planning that you’ve handled like a pro! Isn’t that impressive?

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

Changing the Way the World Gifts

It is that time of the year. Again. To make resolutions. And to ensure that the resolutions taken earlier are close to execution.

We collectively look forward to a New Year with renewed hope and excitement.

There would surely be freshly baked jokes on social media that nothing is going to change – as it is the same Job, the same Boss, the same colleague, the same market, the same challenges, the same complexities..…

But it is still a New Year!

Time does not have a holiday break. Our dreams don’t have an expiry date. Our dreams continue to be cherished and nurtured. Circumstances shall conspire to help in their accomplishment.

Life, as it happens, has no pause button.

This year has had its share of crests and troughs. Having said that, we shall save only the memories that brought a twinkle to our eyes and mind; not those that added wrinkles to our faces!

At times, we get asked as to what we do. We do lots of exciting and pioneering work. All towards one common agenda.

In a nutshell, we do EVERYTHING GIFT CARDS.

We enable large enterprises, transnational brands & startups to launch and manage unique & innovative consumer outreach programs. Via our robust, multi-tenanted Technology Product Suite for Stored Value Prepaid & Gift Cards.

In 2016, we drove Gift Card category innovations across 700+ enterprises in 500+cities in 6 different countries. This translates to 2+ Gift Cards being transacted every second through the Year on our Qwikcilver SaaS Platform.

As we see it, this in only the beginning.

We now take fresh guard at the wicket; padded up to head onto new frontiers. With new initiatives lined up.

During our long voyage in the market, we have had the joy to have interactions and advice from many of our customers and doyens of Industry. One specific anecdotal tale did resonate soundly and also helped in reminding us and steering our own course : After failing to scale Mount Everest twice, Edmund Hillary amazingly stated : I will come again and conquer you because as a mountain, you cannot grow, but as a human, I can!

And what Edmund Hillary did go on to achieve with this positive attitude is now part of human fortitude and folklore.

In 2016, the Gift Card Industry scaled up across India significantly with strong growth reported across consumption segments. This recent article in the Economic Times did reflect it : Gift Card Industry Growth.

This rapid adoption of Gift Cards has been achieved by the sincere efforts of the brand owners in scaling their Gift Card programs during the key seasons among their customers in innovative modes of merchandising at points of sale.

Increased consumer adoption of Gift Cards is being witnessed – as the smartest way to Gift to friends and family for various festival gifting occasions

In 2016, we scaled up Woohoo – as it got adopted as the Most Powerful Gifting Platform for Corporates, Enterprises, marketplaces and consumers.

Woohoo launched India’s First Secondary Gift Card marketplace – that was also reportedly the World’s First Fully Integrated Secondary Gift Card Marketplace. This helped to drive a new base of consumers onto the growing category of Gift Card users in India.

The times ahead will certainly not be the same again. For us as a company and also for each of us as individuals in our official and personal lives.

In the distant past of my old childhood, the New Year meant a quiet evening with my close family. When we used to make all that we needed. The food was cooked at home. My Late Mother used to cook our Malayali staple food of Appam, Stew, Fish curry, Ulli Sambar, Theeyal, Unniappam, Payasam among other things. She would even bake a special cake for us on New Years Eve.

And we children would relish it, even if my younger sibling would crib about the boringness of it. In those days in the 80s, we did not have the options to place New Year orders via Homedelivery from the neighbourhood restaurants. I still relish those yummy delights cooked at my home.

And today, as a parent myself, I have no say in the choice of clothes by my two little children. In fact, my children even go on to choose the brand and model of automobile that I am allowed to purchase and drive!

For the New Year, I will even get a piece of chocolate from my 6 year old daughter. If I behave well today. As going to be judged & decided by her.

Best Wishes for a Warm and digitally Gifted Prosperous New Year 2017!

(One resolution of mine was that I would Post atleast once on LinkedIn. So hope this qualifies as one and I tick off my list for the Year !)

Author: Pratap TP (CMO, Qwikcilver Solutions Pvt Ltd)

Gifts for your friends relocating to a new city

While it’s exciting to move to a new city, it can also be tiresome. Relocating to a different city poses a number of challenges to a couple. For one thing, they have to sort out where they’ll live, how they’ll commute, where to send kids to school, how to arrange for amenities and so on. These challenges will take some time to overcome. Be sure to support and cheer your friends with gifts that they can use in their new home!

Let your gifts help them furnish their new home

While relocating to a new city, it becomes necessary to get rid of several belongings and move with a lighter load. Most people need to buy new furniture for their new home. Your friends might be wondering where and how to buy new furnishings and home goods. If you know a bunch of their friends, you could all pool in and buy the relocating couple a gift card from The Home Stop, Lifestyle, Shoppers Stop, Central or @Home. These are large shopping malls that sell every imaginable item of furnishing and home equipment one can want.

Gift them a well-deserved break!

Relocating to another city could be physically and mentally exhausting. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could gift your friends a short and nice trip or an experience to unwind, feel refreshed and good about the new possibilities that are in store for them? How about a gift voucher for a fine dining experience? You can choose a restaurant based on the couple’s favorite cuisine, such as Mainland China for Chinese, Spaghetti Kitchen for Italian, Oh! Calcutta for some Bengali cuisine or a host of other interesting options. Or, send them both to PVR Cinemas for a nice movie together. A nice and short weekend trip is also a great gift idea. You could pick a gift card from MakeMyTrip.com or Cleartrip.com.

Gifts that won’t be misplaced

You like the idea of gifting them these gift cards, but fear they might happen to misplace the physical card in the whole process of packing, moving and unpacking? There’s a perfect workaround! You can gift all of this via the Woohoo App. This way your friends will receive your e-gift voucher on their mobiles and will not run the risk of losing it. Not just that. To make the gift even more special, you could personalize it with pictures of fond memories, a voice note or a text message.

You know they’ll thank you for your warm gesture!

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

(Post updated on 19 Aug 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)

Best Christmas gift for girls!

Do you have a little daughter, a niece or a granddaughter? It’s so wonderful having little children around during Christmas time. Their enthusiasm and delight is so infectious, you can forget all the troubles of life just watching them. Of course you want to make this Christmas the best Christmas for your little girl. How do you go about that? Simple! By getting them the perfect Christmas gift!

Every little girl has a secret fantasy. Some little girls want to be princesses while some dream of being doctors. Find out what your little girl’s secret desire is. How do you find that out? Christmas is still a few weeks off, so start talking to your little girl about what she wants from Santa this year.

You cannot go wrong with beautiful dolls as a Christmas gift, especially if it’s her favourite princess Barbie. How about a doctor toy set? What about cute fashion jewelry, the crystal variety? No little girl could say no to that. There’s a plethora of things you could get for her – puzzle books, toys, doll-houses, stuffed toys, board games and much more, depending on her age and likes.

How about getting your little girl a gift card from Crossword, a great destination for books, toys, and games for little girls? Or Gini & Jony for selecting her favourite set of clothes. You could also gift her gift cards, e-gift cards, or gift vouchers from Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra or Jabong and let her enjoy picking up her favourites online. Or, hand her a gift-wrapped gift card from Shoppers Stop, Central or Lifestyle. Let her walk the aisles and choose for herself from the variety of playthings and kids stuff that are available. Sometimes allowing them to choose their own Christmas gift can be too much fun.

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

(Post updated on 10 Dec 2015)

CORPORATE GIFTING IDEAS FOR DIWALI

In the Indian calendar, the Diwali festival is of paramount importance, similar to Christmas in the west. Businesses, both large and small, like to show their appreciation for their employees by handing out Diwali gifts. This is a long-standing tradition in many companies. Apart from showing appreciation, Diwali and New Years’ gifts help boost employee morale and generate greater loyalty. That’s the reason why large corporates dedicate people to come up with unique and perfect corporate gifts strategies. This year, make sure that your Diwali gift ideas resonate with the spirit and joy of Diwali. Allow your employees to choose what they want, instead of picking up random gifts which they may or may not like or even consider tasteful.

This year, instead of spending Rs. 500 or Rs. 1000 on a tray of sweets, diya and dry fruits, buy your employees gift cards and vouchers. Keep in mind that gifts for employees must be generic. Therefore, look for brands that offer a wide range of general lifestyle and entertainment options. Here are some lifestyle options – Maya Lifestyle, Central, Shoppers’ Stop, Landmark, Flipkart, Westside and Big Bazaar. Here are some food and entertainment options – PVR Cinemas, Dominos, Pizza Corner, Sigree Restaurant, 13th Floor, Kyra Restaurant and Oh! Calcutta Restaurant. Books and music make great, impersonal gifts as well – think of Sapna Book House, Oxford Book Store and Flipkart.com As you can see, the options are endless. It only depends on the kind of gift you want to give your employees this year. What’s more, through gift vouchers and cards, you can even set the trend for years to come!

Retailers target 1 million gift card sales this festive season: Study

Republished here on: 04 October 2012

As appeared on 03 October in The Economic Times

MUMBAI: In spite of the concerns over the diminishing footfalls at retail stores, there is an increasing demand for gift cards during the festive season and retailers expect sale of a million such cards during the forthcoming Diwali, according to a recent study.

“Retailers are gearing up for demand of over a million gift cards during this festive season. Indians spent Rs 1,800 crores on gift cards last year.

“The total number of active gift cards touched 2.7 million this month, and has witnessed a growth of 145 per cent in the last one year,” reveals a study by QwikCilver that is into gift card solutions.

Retailers are keen to push gift cards, as customers tend to buy products worth more than the gift card, it notes.

“Retailers are keen on gift cards owing to the significant increase in average uplift. Uplift is the amount spent by an individual over the card value.

“The average uplift is currently at 150 per cent, with giftees spending at least 70 per cent more than the gift card value,” it says, adding that in case of premium accessory brands, uplift is as high as 400 per cent.

The average amount spent on a gift card in the country is Rs 1,400 this year, but is higher at Rs 3,300 for premium accessory brands, the study says noting that almost 40 per cent of the demand for gist card is from Tier-II and Tier-II cities.

“Globally, gift cards are easily the largest selling SKUs for many brands, especially during festive seasons and this trend is soon catching up here,” QwikCilver said.

In addition to retail demand, corporates have also jumped on to the bandwagon, with gift cards turning out to be the favourite for employee and partner gifting programmes.

The study notes that all leading brands, across categories such as apparel, luxury accessories, food and beverage, cinema are adding new variants to their gift card offerings.