Raksha Bandhan, which is also know as Rakhi or Rakri is celebrated worldwide by the Hindu and Sikh communities every year to recognize the special bond between siblings. This bond is also known as the “protection bond” between a brother and sister. For many families, this celebration also extends to close cousins and is an all-inclusive celebration filled with gifts, sweets, special meals, and gatherings. During this celebration, the sister ties a ceremonial thread on the wrist of her brothers and in return, the brother offers his love, protection, and gifts for his sister to mark the special occasion.
This year, Raksha Bandhan will take place on August 11 and local Indian shops have been getting ready by bringing in special gift offerings for purchase. Most of these local shops tend to offer traditional style gifts but in recent times, the gifting options have expanded. Traditionally, a gift might be money, jewelry, Indian attire or similar. However, the newer generation and Western integration of the South Asian community has seen the range of gifts open to include items such as:
- Electronics (mobile phones & Smart watches)
- Local excursions
- Travel vouchers
- Spa/Beauty gift certificates
- Shopping gift cards and more
With this newer gift giving trend, it brings forth a great opportunity for mainstream businesses to get involved to recognize and celebrate Raksha Bandhan alongside the local Hindu and Sikh communities. South Asian consumers are ranked as one of the top affluent segments in North America and the chance to add a friendly message of support or product offerings could be a great way to increase brand presence and tap into a lucrative consumer base that has buying power with a network ready to support local business. Personally speaking, this is one holiday I look forward to the most to celebrate with my sister/cousins. I spend more money during this holiday event compared to Christmas or other Western Holidays as it is very meaningful for me to see my sisters happy. I surely could use some new ideas from local retailers in exchange for my spending dollars the next round!
As this blog is posted, it is already a little late for creating a detailed marketing plan but the opportunity to recognize Raksha Bandhan via social media and local workplaces is still there! With that in mind, the next big opportunity for local business is to get ready for DIWALI – the festival of lights coming October 24, 2022.
We are on standby and happy to connect to explore best ways to build an outreach program via special holidays/events or ongoing messaging to a consumer base that is ready for local brands to invite them in!
Contact us at anytime to get started.
Enjoy,
Manny Kang
