The Cadbury Celebrations chocolate gift packs have become part of every festive season and established themselves as alternatives to the Diwali mithai boxes. Mondelez India (formerly Cadbury) has created this segment and leads the market with an assortment of chocolates from its wide range at different price points and packaging options customized for every festival.
Inspired by the success of Cadbury, other chocolate makers have added gift packs to their portfolio and competing with Cadbury for shelf and table space.
Ferrero India and Mars Wrigley India are among the players who are making inroads in the gifting market. Zoher Kapuswala, marketing head, Pralines, Ferrero India, said normally Indians tend to gravitate towards gifting locally made traditional sweets to friends and families. But there has been a change in trend and preference towards premium gifting with chocolates. “Many Indian buyers believe that chocolate selection boxes are more hygienic, premium, and durable. This trend has helped sales rise as seasonal chocolate gifts have become more and more popular in recent years, especially around Diwali. In fact, sales significantly pick up during these periods, year on year,” Kapuswala said.
According to Kalpesh Parmar, country general manager, Mars Wrigley, the chocolate gifting segment in the country could be worth around Rs 700 crore. He expects this year to be good for the segment. It is a revenge Diwali this year and going by the selling to retailers and sales picking up at supermarkets as well as digital, it looks like a better-than-last-year performance for Mars, Parmar said. “It will be high double-digit growth this year.”
Mars has expanded its range and has a range of products that can go into the gifting packs. There are moulded chocolates, Galaxy brand, Snickers, Mars, Bounty and Twix that are part of the gift packs.
Both Mars’ Parmar and Ferrero’s Kapuswala attribute this growth to the acceptance of chocolates as a option to celebrate festive occasions.
Chocolate gifting has contributed 10– 12% of Ferrero’s chocolate category and has been growing exponentially over the years. “We have seen increased momentum across all our products, especially our premium chocolates Ferrero Rocher and Ferrero Rocher Moments, related to Diwali gifting. Overall, chocolate gifting is growing more than the chocolate category and has experienced growth to the tune of 25– 30%,” Kapuswala said.
Ferrero Rocher’s round shape and golden wrapping that resembles a laddoo have struck a chord with consumers not just in metros but also in smaller cities. Taking a cue from this, they have launched “Ferrero Rocher Moments” which is not only premium but is at an affordable price point which is suited for everyday gifting. Thus, aiming on catering to a wider Indian audience.
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