Weeks of pre-planning for the gifts had all passed. Nowadays, there are a lot of options to choose from the budget and choose the ones that match personal preferences in one click.

Vinny is an online gifting portal based in Chandigarh. They have made great progress in this area in recent years. It was started in 2013 by Sujeet Kumar Mishra, Chander Pal, Sonali Gaur and Abhishek Sharma.

"With the internet revolution and increasing connectivity pan-India due to cheaper data plans and smartphones, Indians have started appreciating the ability to buy many gifts online that can be delivered to their loved ones living in other parts of India. Therefore, the online gift platform prepared with the help of technology has been built. At Winny, we promise to deliver the best quality products at affordable prices within a defined time frame, "says Sujeet Kumar Mishra, Co-founder and CEO, Winny

According to the founder, when Winny was first launched, there was a shortage of online gifting solutions along with an effective delivery network in India. The few companies operating in this space lacked strong technical solutions, making it challenging for customers to navigate them. Another major issue was the quality of the products delivered, as most were different from what was displayed on the website.

It is the awareness of these shortcomings that has enabled Vinnie to emerge as a technology-driven strong company.

With its eight-year-long experience through trial and error, the company has developed the ability to deliver a seamless experience by mapping the platform user's purchase intent. It can offer a wide range of products that address the needs of different segments of the audience and ensure delivery of those products on a particular day or time to celebrate special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries.

Additionally, Winny provides training and supply chain support to its vendors for timely delivery and processes orders on a large scale. It provides high-quality raw materials and teaches superior baking skills through training programs to ensure consistency of taste and feel in its bakery products.

The team claims to have successfully completed 50,000 deliveries within five days of Valentine's Week this year, of which 20,000 were delivered on February 14 itself. The popularity of the bakery products has encouraged the startup to start an on-ground vertical called Winny Cake & More, which now has over 100 outlets across India in just 15 months.

On the Winny portal, one can choose from cakes, flowers, chocolates, plants, home decor, candles, metallic utensils, gold-plated gifts, crystal gifts, soft toys, accessories for men and women, perfumes, digital gifts, mugs, cushions, jewellery and personal gifts. The most popular of these are cakes, flower baskets and chocolates.

We offer affordable products across all categories, and hyper-local companies control the quality by ensuring they meet our stringent standards," he adds.

They launch new collections and products every 15 days. The themes of these new launches are tailored to each festival and special day. They have also lined up a new product line-up for Diwali, including a variety of dry fruits, cookies, personalised gadgets, plants and chocolates. New packaging has been introduced in the entire range of products for Diwali. As the festive season is favourable for sales, the team has introduced heavy discounts on a wide range of festive gift items and products.

When asked what sets them apart from their competitors in this space, he said, "All our products are delivered at the same time unlike others. We have the cheapest range of quality products in all categories and the highest repeat customers in the online gifting industry. We also have over 100 retail outlets that help us control the quality of gift items such as perishable flowers and ensure a seamless delivery experience. "Said

According to indianretailer.com, India is said to be the fastest growing market for the e-commerce gifting sector, which is expected to grow to $200 billion by 2026. Winnie's growth supports this prediction.

Its retail business - Winnie the Cake & More - was launched 15 months ago and has seen tremendous growth since then. They have plans to open 300 franchise retail stores by the end of this financial year.

While the period of the pandemic has been challenging, Winnie's has been able to navigate through it by making tough decisions that change their process and delivery standards.

"We have trained the traders, stakeholders to maintain better hygiene from the COVID-19 perspective while preparing the products and distributing them. We worked to ensure contactless gift delivery while adhering to all safety standards, and disinfected our kitchen and warehouse facilities in accordance with government advisories on a daily basis. "Sujith shares.

In addition, it reduced the margins of product sales to meet the immediate challenges it faced and increased its marketing by using every available opportunity to reach out to relevant customers.

Sujeet points out that during this period, people started opting for digital gifts such as celebrity video messages, personalised caricatures, on-demand virtual live music performances and virtual greeting cards, and Vinnie's team is working to meet these changing needs.

"The online gifting industry will start consolidating in the next three to four years and we are going to play a crucial role as a leading firm in this domain. "Sujit says.