The rakhi itself accounts for an estimated ₹25,000 crore, according to the Confederation of All India Traders
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Ten-year-old Reyansh Sachdev doesn’t have a sibling. So his parents, television scriptwriter Surbhi Sachdev and media research expert Rahul Sachdev, found another way for him to celebrate Raksha Bandhan: by tying a rakhi to Chikki, the family’s four-year-old Shih Tzu.The Sachdevs are part of a broader shift that retailers are now monetising. The thread remains at the centre of a festival expected to generate ₹30,000-32,000 crore of trade nationally, but bakers, florists, jewellers, pet-care brands, gifting platforms and quick-commerce companies are fighting for the ₹5,000-7,000 crore spent on everything that goes into the basket around it.The rakhi itself accounts for an estimated ₹25,000 crore, according to the Confederation of All India Traders. Hospitality and retail expert Sheldon Santwan sees the change as Raksha Bandhan’s evolution from a largely single-product festival into a broader consumption occasion, expanding into many other categories.Furry threads and flowersOnline marketplaces and specialist pet-care brands are selling pet-friendly rakhis, bandanas, treats and gift boxes for dogs and cats, tapping rising spending on pets and their growing inclusion in family celebrations. Santwan says the significance lies less in the size of the category than in retailers creating a purchase occasion that had little connection with Raksha Bandhan.Cakes too are entering the festival space, which is dominated by mithai. Searches for cake shops surged 38 per cent in Chandigarh and 20 per cent in Delhi, while Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune recorded increases of 9-12 per cent, according to Justdial.Bakingo sold Rakhi photo cakes from about ₹739, Ferns N Petals paired cakes with rakhis, Theobroma had a ₹715 Raksha Bandhan Special Eggless Dutch Truffle Cake, while Magnolia Bakery introduced limited-edition Rakhi cupcakes.Flowers are making a similar crossover. Gifting platforms are bundling bouquets with rakhis, chocolates, cakes and personalised messages, bringing a product more commonly associated with Valentine’s Day, birthdays and anniversaries into Raksha Bandhan.Meanwhile, the thread itself is being premiumised. The basic ₹10 rakhi now shares shelves with silver, gemstone, designer and personalised versions commanding multiples of mass-market prices. Children’s rakhis feature superheroes and cartoon characters, while personalised versions carry names and photographs.The battle for the basketQuick commerce is widening the opportunity further by allowing consumers to add sweets, cakes, flowers, rakhis and gifts at the last minute. Swiggy recorded a 32.4 per cent increase in festival food orders during Raksha Bandhan, while non-metro orders grew 38.1 per cent.For retailers, Santwan says, the opportunity isn’t to replace the rakhi or mithai but to add purchases around them. A cake, bouquet, personalised gift or pet product may be incremental individually, but together they create a sizeable festive market.Published on August 28, 2026
