How Much Do Companies Spend on Diwali Gifts for Employees?

Diwali gifting in India has become massive over the last few years. According to the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), India’s total Diwali sales in 2025 reached ₹6.05 lakh crore. 

This included ₹5.40 lakh crore from goods and ₹65,000 crore from services. The report was based on a nationwide survey conducted across 60 major distribution centres, including metro cities as well as Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets.

A big part of this festive spending comes from corporate gifting. Every year, more startups, enterprises, and growing businesses invest heavily in Diwali gifts for employees, clients, and partners. 

And one of the most common questions our team gets during the festive season is simple: how much are other companies spending on employee Diwali gifts, and what should our budget look like?

At TapWell, we have helped 2000+ brands across India plan and execute their Diwali gifting campaigns. We have seen what works, what employees actually value, and how businesses can plan smarter gifting budgets without overspending.

In this guide, we will break down how much companies typically spend on Diwali gifts for employees, what affects corporate gifting budgets, and how to choose the right custom Diwali gift hampers for your team.

Average Diwali Gift Budget Per Employee in India

On an average, companies in India spend anywhere between ₹500 to ₹15,000 or even more per employee during Diwali. Now this range includes everything from simple festive sweet boxes to fully customized premium Diwali gift hampers with branded merchandise, gourmet products, tech accessories, and luxury packaging.

The actual budget usually depends on the company size, employee count, gifting goals, and the type of products being selected. So let us break it down.

Startups & Small Businesses

Most startups and small businesses usually have between 10 to 100 employees. Their average Diwali gifting budget generally falls between ₹500 to ₹2,000 per employee.

At this stage, companies usually focus on practical and cost-effective Diwali gifting. Some common choices include:

• Dry fruit boxes
• Sweet hampers
• Customized mugs and bottles
• Desk accessories
• Snack hampers
• Eco-friendly gifting kits
• Simple branded merchandise

Many startups also prefer customized packaging and handwritten notes to make the gift feel more personal without significantly increasing the budget.

Mid-Sized Companies

Mid-sized companies typically have around 100 to 1000 employees. Their Diwali gifting budget generally ranges between ₹2,000 to ₹5,000 per employee.

These companies often look for a balance between quality, branding, and employee experience. Their gifting usually includes:

• Premium customized Diwali gift hampers
• Gourmet snack boxes
• Wellness hampers
• Tech accessories
• Branded office products
• Premium dry fruit collections
• Customized festive packaging

At this level, companies also start focusing heavily on presentation, personalization, and Pan-India delivery support for remote teams.

Enterprises & Large Corporates

Large enterprises and corporations may have anywhere from 1000 employees to tens of thousands across multiple locations. Their Diwali gifting budgets can range from ₹5,000 to ₹15,000+ per employee depending on the employee category and gifting strategy.

These companies usually invest in premium gifting experiences such as:

• Luxury festive hampers
• Executive gift boxes
• Premium gadgets and accessories
• Imported gourmet collections
• Customized branded merchandise
• High-end packaging and personalization
• Multi-location delivery management

Some enterprises also create different gifting tiers for leadership teams, managers, clients, and employees.

Although these budget ranges are common across the industry, gifting still varies a lot from company to company. We have seen funded startups choose Diwali gifts worth ₹10,000 per employee, while some enterprise companies preferred simple ₹300 to ₹500 festive gifts for bulk distribution.

There is no hard rule when it comes to corporate Diwali gifting budgets. It usually depends on the company’s overall budget, number of employees, gifting objectives, and the type of products being included in the hamper.

Industry-Wise Spending Trends on Corporate Diwali Gifts

Corporate Diwali gifting budgets also vary heavily based on the industry. Some sectors usually spend more on employee engagement and premium gifting, while others focus on large-volume practical gifting with tighter budgets.

Based on our experience of serving 2000+ brands and delivering 10 lakh+ products across India, here is a general breakdown of how different industries usually approach Diwali gifting budgets.

Industry	Usual Spending Trend	Common Gifting Choices
IT & SaaS Companies	High Spend	Premium hampers, gadgets, branded merchandise, wellness kits
Startups & Tech Brands	Moderate to High Spend	Customized hampers, trendy products, snack boxes, utility gifts
Real Estate Companies	High Spend	Luxury hampers, premium dry fruits, festive gift boxes
Financial Services & Fintech	Moderate to High Spend	Executive hampers, premium office accessories, gourmet gifts
Manufacturing Companies	Moderate Spend	Bulk festive hampers, sweets, utility products
E-commerce Brands	Moderate Spend	Branded merchandise, snack hampers, personalized gifts
Agencies & Creative Firms	Moderate Spend	Creative hampers, customized products, lifestyle gifts
Healthcare & Pharma	Moderate Spend	Wellness hampers, healthy snacks, utility gifting
Retail Businesses	Low to Moderate Spend	Sweets, festive combos, affordable hampers
Logistics & Operations Companies	Low to Moderate Spend	Bulk gifting kits, practical utility products
Educational Institutions	Low Spend	Sweet boxes, simple festive gifts, branded stationery

In general, industries with higher employee retention focus and stronger corporate culture initiatives tend to invest more in personalized and premium gifting experiences. Companies with large workforce numbers usually focus more on scalable and cost-efficient gifting options.

What Factors Affect Corporate Diwali Gift Budgets?

Let us take a look at the major factors that usually affect corporate Diwali gifting budgets. In most cases, the final cost is not decided by just the gift itself. Employee count, customization, packaging, logistics, and product selection can significantly increase or reduce the overall budget.

Number of Employees

The total number of employees is one of the biggest factors in Diwali gifting budgets. Companies with larger teams usually look for bulk pricing and scalable gifting options.

For example, a company gifting ₹2,500 hampers to 50 employees would spend around ₹1.25 lakh. The same hamper for 2,000 employees would take the budget to ₹50 lakh before packaging and delivery costs.

From our experience, companies with very large teams often reduce per-employee gifting budgets slightly and focus more on practical gifting that can be delivered efficiently across locations.

Type of Employees Being Gifted

Many companies create separate gifting categories based on employee roles and departments.

For example:

• Leadership teams may receive premium hampers worth ₹7,000 to ₹15,000
• Mid-level employees may receive hampers between ₹2,000 to ₹5,000
• Support staff or bulk workforce gifting may range between ₹500 to ₹1,500

We have also seen companies create different gifting strategies for remote employees, sales teams, factory staff, and client-facing teams.

Level of Customization

Customization can increase the gifting budget very quickly depending on the requirement.

Simple branding like logo stickers and printed sleeves may only increase the budget by ₹40 to ₹150 per hamper. But fully customized rigid boxes, branded merchandise, personalized name tags, custom inserts, and handwritten notes can increase costs by ₹500 to ₹2,000 or more per box.

One of our clients added customized magnetic boxes, personalized employee cards, and surprise gifts to a ₹1800 hamper, which pushed the final hamper value close to ₹2,200 per employee.

Product Selection

The products included inside the hamper heavily impact pricing.

For example:

• Basic sweets and dry fruit hampers may cost ₹500 to ₹800
• Gourmet snacks and premium festive hampers may range from ₹900 to ₹2,000
• Tech products, premium drinkware, gadgets, and luxury gifting can cross ₹5,000+

Imported products, premium brands, and healthier gifting options also usually increase costs compared to standard festive gifting products.

Packaging & Delivery

Packaging and logistics are often underestimated during Diwali gifting planning.

Basic packaging usually costs ₹50 to ₹150 per hamper, while premium rigid boxes, magnetic closures, satin finishes, and luxury packaging can go beyond ₹700 to ₹1,500 per box.

Delivery costs also depend on:

• Number of cities
• Individual doorstep delivery
• Product weight
• Delivery timelines

For example, delivering 800 customized hampers individually across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, and Hyderabad can easily add ₹250 to ₹600 per shipment depending on hamper size and urgency.

From our experience, companies that plan gifting early usually save significantly on logistics, packaging, and customization costs compared to last-minute Diwali orders.

What Employees Actually Prefer in Diwali Gifts

Before planning corporate Diwali gifts, one important question companies should ask is simple: what do employees actually like receiving?

At TapWell, we recently did a detailed research study around employee gifting preferences by analyzing discussions across Reddit, workplace forums, social conversations, and feedback from companies we have worked with. 

We have published a detailed article based on that study around what employees actually prefer in corporate gifting and what genuinely makes them feel valued during the festive season. You can read the article here.

Why Companies Across India Choose TapWell For Corporate Diwali Gifting

Over the last 10 years, we have partnered with some of the leading organizations in India including Reserve Bank of India, IRCTC, Mahindra & Mahindra, Aditya Birla Group, Welspun, Urban Company, Cello, and many more.

We have successfully delivered more than 10 lakh corporate gifting products across India, handling everything from product sourcing and hamper curation to customization, packaging, warehousing, and Pan-India logistics.

Whether a company is looking for affordable festive gifting for a growing team or premium customized Diwali gift hampers for leadership and clients, our team manages the process end-to-end. 

This includes:

• Product selection and curation
• Customized branding and packaging
• Employee name personalization
• Bulk order management
• Multi-location delivery support
• Corporate gifting consultation
• Timely festive dispatch and tracking

Our experience across startups, enterprises, manufacturing companies, IT firms, and large corporate teams has helped us understand what employees actually value and how companies can create memorable gifting experiences within their budgets.

If you are planning your corporate Diwali gifting campaign, TapWell can help you create customized Diwali gift hampers that match your employee profile, budget, and gifting goals.