How Covid-19 has changed the tradition of gifting this festive season

Customary gifting has yielded space to home appliances, wellness products and hi-tech gizmos which make the bulk of presents one buys for oneself and for others

It’s that time of the year when people fast and feast, give and get, spend and splurge. However, Covid-19 has fundamentally changed the world as we know it. People are living differently, buying differently and in many ways, thinking differently. Where are the people spending and what is on offer?

Says Arvind Singhal, Chairman & Managing Director, Technopak Advisors: “There are two kinds of gifting during the festive period--one is gifting for the self, or personal consumption driven purely by functional needs. The other is Diwali-oriented gifting for friends and family. During the past six months, thanks to the Covid-induced