SK Gupta of Old Delhi plans to watch Sawariya with his 18-member family during the coming festival season. Every year around Diwali, the timber merchant?s family, which includes his octogenerian mother and eight-year-old grand-daughter, selects one movie to watch together. ?This is one day in the entire year when everybody makes a special effort to be together,? he says.
Akshi Singhvi watches starry-eyed as Winnie the Pooh and Donald Duck make their appearance on the walls of her son?s bedroom. This festive season, as she went for her yearly ritual of white-washing before Diwali, she was sure she wanted Nerolac?s Impressions Disney themes for her new-born.
Harish Kapadia braves the jostling crowds at New Market, Kolkata to pick up his beloved 46-inch Sony Bravia LCD TV. ?I have been waiting for the festive offers to start pouring in. That?s when you get the best of bargains,? he says gleefully.
The festive season is more than pujas, mithai and family bonding. Rather it?s an occasion to splurge ?whether it is to buy the latest car, do up your mansion or pick up some trinkets. Go to any major market this October and you will realise what we mean ? silver festoons welcome you at the street corner, twinkling bulbs light up your way, and huge hoardings scream at you. And if you are still not sure, look at the hordes of shoppers thronging every mall around you, the flyers that arrive with your newspaper every morning, and the TV spots talking about the tantalising array awaiting your approval.
The consumer durables industry which grows by 10-15% during this period, sees manufacturers offering discount schemes, free gifts and exchange offers. So while a LCD TV or refrigerator from Haier can win you a 4-day all expenses paid trip to the Beijing Olympics besides a range of assured gifts, a purchase from Whirlpool may see your home sport a new look. Motorola?s ?Lucky Locket Offer? promises buyers a chance to win an Audi A6 2.7 TDI car, a Honda City car besides TVS bikes and Optima watches, says Arshit Pathak, head-sales, Motorola Devices. Samsung this year is offering a Tata Sky installation coupon on purchase of its 46-inch LCD TV.
?The festive season accounts for 20% of our year-round sales,? says Shantanu Das Gupta, VP-marketing, Whirlpool. The Whirlpool ?Magic Chalao, Dream Home Sajao? offer promises Rs one lakh home insurance and home utility articles besides a ?home makeover? bumper prize which consists of a design consultation by architects and vouchers worth Rs 1.5 lakh. Whirlpool expects sales to go up by 20% with this offer.
Manufacturers also reduce their prices compelling fence-sitters and bargain hunters to delve into their pockets. Sony has this season slashed its prices by Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 across categories to make its brand more accessible. Recognising it?s a volume game, dealers and retailers too let go a share of their margins to boost their sales.
LG Electronics is banking on its new range of products to do the talking this season. ?Instead of going for a festival discount scheme or free gifts, we are launching a brand imagery campaign highlighting various product features,? says its director, sales and marketing V Ramachandran. It has just launched the world’s first TV refrigerator, TV DIOS, with a 15-inch hi-definition LCD TV installed in the centre of its door available for Rs 2,25,000.
And who can forget apparels? Whether it?s exclusive designer wear or top-of-the-line brands, a new range for the festive season is mandatory for every self-respecting apparel manufacturer. Satya Paul has come out with a line of exclusive saris and lehengas embellished with Swarovski crystals in tissue and brocade while Versace JC as well as the Escape store in Mumbai, which stocks international labels, are currently offering upto 50% discounts. Marks & Spencer too is offering huge discounts across all products coinciding with the festive season.
The tradition of buying ?valuable? products during Dhanteras and festival bonus received by employees fuel the mood to splurge. ?Traditionally, it is a buying season ? in that perspective, we do give more attention to products, schemes and offers,? says Prasanna Savnoor Rai, GM, India marketing, Lenovo. Lenovo is offering consumers a chance to win a shopping voucher worth Rs 1 lakh, and also get a chance to win Philips headsets on the purchase of its latest Y410 notebooks.
Over the years, customers and marketers have turned the festival season ? starting from Ganesh Chaturthi to Bhai Dhuj ? into the fine art of shopping and spending. And with Id this year coinciding with the Hindu festival season, there?s one more reason to reach out for your wallet. ?Festive selling season is relevant to all the areas in India, though the festivals may vary from area to area. While it?s Diwali for North and West and part of Andhra, Dussehra is important in Karnataka as is Durga Pooja in the East. Onam to Christmas is the selling period in Kerala and it?s Pongal for Tamil Nadu and coastal Andhra. The sales activity in the market picks up during Navratras, before Diwali in the relevant areas,? says C Venugopal, GM, marketing (decorative section), Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd. Cashing in on the tradition of welcoming the goddess of wealth to a newly painted home, Nerolac has launched its Impressions range of paints. Home furnishings are another top-selling item and the fact that the festive season precedes the wedding season definitely helps. ?October to December contributes about 30% of the sales for us,? says Rajiv Merchant, CEO, Portico New York.
Festival offers aren?t just for bourgeois bargain hunters. Says Venu Menon, a software engineer, ?We have been to the Dubai Shopping Festival and the Singapore shopping extravaganza. But shopping in Delhi just before Diwali has a charm of its own. The buzz in the air and the spirit of festivity forces you to check out what the stores have to offer.?