Hyderabad, India:  Lack of shopping melas and festivals this year has forced everyone to purchase their rakhis online. The sudden spike in demand in online rakhis, compared to previous years, has made e-commerce players work harder to woo the customers with unique offerings. Travel restrictions and safety has fuelled the demand even further as siblings staying in different cities, or even in different homes within the same city, will have to avoid meeting in person on Raksha Bandhan day. This is making brothers and sisters try extra harder this year to still make this Raksha Bandhan special for each other. Not just rakhis, but even premium hampers and gifts have seen an increase in demand. “www.oyehappy.com has already seen a 250% increase in orders with our signature terracotta rakhis personalised with photographs and names. Even the average rakhi order size increased by 30% in just the first week of July,” shares Varun Todi, co-founder of Oye Happy.
 
The pandemic has made people value relationships even more

Maybe people have more time in their hands to browse just the right rakhi. Maybe the distance between siblings, with no respite in the near future, has made the bond stronger between them. Or maybe people are trying harder this year to truly make Raksha Bandhan special in these difficult times. Whatever the reason may be, it has led gifting companies to push their creative boundaries. “Every year, my brother flies down from Mumbai on Raksha Bandhan and I cook a lavish dinner to celebrate Raksha Bandhan with him. This year, given the circumstances, he’s unable to travel and I am taking Oye Happy’s help in delivering rakhis to him to plan an entire day of virtual surprises, ” shares Ritika Chawla, an Oye Happy customer.
 
What Makes Oye Happy’s Rakhis Unique - Eco-Friendly. Personalised. Reusable.

Personalised Rakhis – Designed with photos and names, personalised rakhis have become the latest trend in these 2 years. “Most people find the cutest or the most embarrassing childhood photograph of their sibling to customise their rakhi,” shares Varun. He adds “The best-seller this year is called ‘secret photo rakhi’ that is designed with a secret compartment. When opened, it unfolds itself to display 6 photographs. It is the most innovative rakhi out there.”

Eco-friendly Rakhis – Rakhis, laden with plastic, is old school. Even those who aren’t eco warriors, prefer not to spend on plastic if they have better and easier alternatives. Oye Happy has a unique collection of terracotta rakhis, made with clay. They’ve also introduced ‘seed rakhis’ which can simply be planted in the soil after Raksha Bandhan is over.
Reusable Rakhis – “A common concern many brothers face is that they want to preserve the rakhi as a memory, but don’t want to just keep it in a box forever. To counter this, we have introduced a range of rakhis that can turn into fridge magnets once the occasion is over. This way, they will enjoy preserving their precious memory with their sisters.” shares Varun.

Oye Happy’s ‘Dog Rakhis’ have also seen a happily surprising surge in demand, and there are already multiple requests for rakhis for cats.