From Diwali Hampers to Personalised Presents: How Corporate Gifting Is Changing in India

New Delhi, October 30, 2026: Corporate gifting in India is gradually moving beyond the traditional practice of distributing sweets and festive hampers during Diwali. Companies are increasingly recognising employees through personalised presents, birthday surprises, work-anniversary gifts and shared experiences, reflecting a broader shift towards more meaningful workplace appreciation. A laptop bag for completing five years at a company, an expensive perfume for reaching a decade of service, or a plant and saree presented on a professor's birthday may appear to be simple gestures. However, such presents can create lasting memories when employees feel that their organisation has made an effort to understand and appreciate them. The changing approach suggests that corporate gifting is no longer limited to annual celebrations. Employers are increasingly using everyday milestones and professional achievements as opportunities to recognise their workforce. Personalised Gifts Are Making a Difference For some employees, the freedom to select their own presents makes workplace rewards more meaningful. One employee working at a multinational company, identified by the name Pankaj Verma in the original report, received a catalogue of gift options after completing five years with the organisation. He selected a branded laptop bag. When he completed ten years, he chose a high-end perfume from another collection. Having the option to choose something personally useful made the recognition more valuable to him. Similar experiences are being reported across workplaces. PR consultant Asmita Raj Yadav recalled receiving a beauty box and a voucher from her former team on her birthday. She described the gesture as a reminder that appreciation at work is not limited to professional achievements. Teachers and academic professionals have also shared examples of thoughtful workplace celebrations. One teacher from Delhi-NCR recalled a Teachers' Day celebration in which the school arranged lunch and booked an entire cinema theatre exclusively for its teaching staff. In another example, a college department reportedly presents professors with a plant, a saree and a greeting card signed by colleagues on their birthdays. These examples highlight how personal attention and shared experiences can sometimes matter more than the monetary value of a gift. Corporate Gifting Is Becoming a Year-Round Practice Diwali continues to be one of the most important occasions for corporate gifting in India. Traditionally, companies have distributed sweets, dry fruits, household appliances, travel bags and other festive presents to employees. However, employers are increasingly extending gifting programmes to other occasions, including: Employee birthdays and work anniversaries New employee onboarding Promotions and professional achievements Retirement celebrations Team milestones and performance recognition Festivals and special workplace occasions This approach allows companies to acknowledge employees at different stages of their professional journey rather than waiting for an annual celebration. What Do Corporate Gifting Reports Reveal? The Indian gifting market has grown into a substantial business segment. Estimates cited in the report, based on the 'Indian Gifting Market 2021', placed the overall Indian gifting market at approximately ₹2.5 lakh crore, with corporate gifting estimated at around ₹12,000 crore. The eYantra Corporate Gifting and Trends Report 2022 also highlighted the importance of workplace gifting. According to the findings cited in the report, 80 per cent of respondents believed gifts helped strengthen relationships with employees and clients, while 88 per cent preferred high-quality personalised gifts and a wider selection of options. The report identified festive occasions as a major part of gifting activity, accounting for 32 per cent of the initiatives covered. Employee onboarding represented 26 per cent, while special occasions such as work anniversaries and company milestones accounted for 19 per cent. Promotions represented 8 per cent and retirement celebrations 4 per cent. These figures belong to the cited reports and should not be interpreted as a measurement of the current corporate gifting market in 2026. Nevertheless, they illustrate how gifting has expanded beyond traditional festivals. Gifting Companies Notice a Shift in Demand Businesses operating in the corporate gifting sector are also observing changes in customer requirements. Tarun Joshi, founder and CEO of IGP, said that corporate gifting is increasingly becoming part of employee engagement throughout the year rather than remaining restricted to festivals. According to figures shared by Joshi, around 35 per cent of IGP's corporate orders are concentrated around Diwali, while approximately 65 per cent come from occasions spread across the rest of the year. These figures represent IGP's own order patterns and do not necessarily reflect the entire Indian gifting industry. Gaurav Bhagat, Managing Director of Consortium Gifts, also pointed to a change in how organisations approach workplace gifting. He said companies are increasingly considering the right occasion and the personal relevance of a gift instead of focusing only on its price. Personalised products, gourmet hampers, wellness items, lifestyle accessories, vouchers and experience-based rewards are among the options gaining attention. HR Experts Say Gifts Cannot Replace Genuine Recognition While personalised gifting can help employees feel appreciated, human resource experts caution that presents alone cannot create a healthy workplace culture. Dr Yogish Arora, director and CEO of HR Anexi, emphasised that the timing and thought behind a gift are important. Recognising an employee for a specific contribution can carry greater meaning than distributing identical presents to everyone during a festival. He also referred to a 2025 study by Great Place To Work India and Vantage Circle, which he said found that only 55 per cent of employees experienced the full impact of workplace recognition. Arora cautioned that gifting cannot compensate for inadequate salaries, poor management practices or limited career-development opportunities. Recognition linked to promotions and performance must also be fair and transparent. This highlights an important distinction: employees may appreciate a thoughtful present, but long-term satisfaction also depends on how they are treated, rewarded and supported at work. The Future of Corporate Gifting in India The changing corporate gifting landscape reflects a wider effort by organisations to build stronger relationships with their employees. Some workers may prefer a voucher or festive bonus, while others may value a useful product, a personalised gift or a memorable team experience. Companies therefore face the challenge of offering choices while ensuring that recognition remains fair across different employees and departments. Traditional Diwali hampers are unlikely to disappear. However, birthdays, promotions, joining milestones and professional achievements are becoming important parts of the corporate gifting calendar. Ultimately, the value of a workplace gift is not determined only by its price. A simple present, when chosen thoughtfully and given at the right moment, can make an employee feel recognised and appreciated. For Indian companies, the message is becoming clearer: meaningful recognition should not be limited to one festival or one day of the year.