Brands back to business as Holi this year boosts consumer sentiments

After relatively low key celebrations on Lohri, Makar Sankranti, Bihu in January amid the Omicron wave, Holi has brought in much cheer for consumers and brands alike. With mass scale vaccination across the country, lifting of Covid restrictions and allowing free movement of people, the festive spirits are high during Holi this year after two years of celebrating this festival of colours under the shadow of Covid.

Not surprisingly, brands are upbeat about a bumper festival show this year and are also seeing Holi as a precursor to strong sales during the coming summer period. Along with online purchases, consumers are also back to favoutive retail haunts, which is giving a massive boost to this sector.

This positive sentiment is echoed by Brand Guru Jagdeep Kapoor, Founder Chairman & Managing Director, Samsika Marketing Consultants, who exclaimed, “It’s a jolly Holi time!” Kapoor remarkd, “Holi is meant to lift up consumer sentiment. It has done so, by increasing consumption. Sales are up, promotions are up, advertising is up and most companies are gearing up for greater growth in the next financial year from now onwards itself.”

In a similar vein, a spokesperson from Quench Botanics said, “We sternly believe that this year’s Holi will definitely bring back the colours of joy, optimism and hope for not just the marketers, but for everyone across the country. The time of festivities and celebratory events in general is like an open sea for a marketer where they get to let their creative side run wild by trying out various tactics and strategies. We cannot begin to describe the excitement we feel around this whole environment. The energy and vibes are at an all time high. Along with the upbeat nature of holi, as a brand who has strong marketing capacities, we are exploring various opportunities around it.”

A spokesperson from Mangalam Organics, best known for its distinctive brands Mangalam and CamPure, added here, “This year, people have more opportunities to move about freely, giving them access to products available in the market. They no longer have to rely on online purchases.”

Festive season is a great opportunity for FMCG players dealing in the sweets and snacks segments to engage with their consumers. Giving an overview, Manish Aggarwal, Director, Bikano, Bikanervala Foods, said, “As the situation is getting back to normal, we believe there will be more demand with respect to last year. We are strategising it very well from our side with respect to better logistics, supply chain management and marketing strategies for our products like Thandai, Khus & Rose Syrup, Bikaneri & Aloo Bhujia, Khatta Meetha & Lajawab mixture,  Laddu, Rasogulla, Gulab Jamun, etc. We are also having meetings with our dealers and distributors across the country for designing and packaging of our products. keeping in mind the upcoming festivals. With respect to inventory, we have made arrangements to keep the buffer stock ready so that our dealers do not face issues wherein the product goes out of stock due to increase in demand.”

Divya Jain, Founder, Gulco, noted, “The Holi market, of late, has slowly converted into something with a huge potential. Especially when it comes to organic and pure products, owing to the rise in awareness of self care post pandemic. We have noticed a lot of competitors dabbing into the vacuum of sorts, which was there around Holi gifting.”