June 16th, 2022, Sonika Choubey
Two in five think buying gifts is a good way of expressing love and celebrating special days
Father's Day is celebrated throughout the world as a way to honour and thank fathers and fatherly figures. Although it is not yet an official public holiday in India and is relatively new, it is rapidly gaining popularity.
YouGov’s latest survey shows that an overwhelming majority (60%) of urban Indians plan on celebrating Father’s Day this year. In contrast, only 22% said they won’t celebrate. Naturally, the enthusiasm for celebrating this day is higher among the younger generations (Gen Z and Millennials at 64% each) than Gen X (57%). Similarly, women are more likely than men to say they would celebrate this day(63% vs 57%).
Special occasions are days when people make an extra effort to show their love and gratitude towards their family members. In India, a majority of people (67%) believe spending the day with family is the perfect way to celebrate special occasions (like Father’s Day), but two in five (41%) like to treat their loved ones with a gift. This is good news for brands and marketers who want to connect with their audience on such special occasions and facilitate interactions or even pitch their product or service to drive sales.
The concept of celebrating special occasions for a third (33%) of urban Indians is associated with having a good time outside home by watching movies or by going for a meal or shopping. A fifth (21%) however, like to celebrate it digitally and an equal number (21%) think it’s best to give their loved ones a call on such special days.
Although people’s idea of celebrating special occasions differ, a majority (56%) of urban Indians claim that they actively seek discounts and offers from brands during this period. Compared to this, only one in seven (14%) say they actually make purchases during these occasions, while almost a third (30%) say that their purchase decisions are not affected by these events.
Developing strategies that are impactful and not just promotional in nature requires brands to understand the way Indian consumers view special occasions and brand promotions associated with them. Data shows that most urban Indians (62%) think special days like Father's Day or Mother’s Day are ‘proper’ occasions that deserve celebration, while just about one in five (20%) believe they are celebrated due to peer pressure or under the influence of brand promotions around these occasions. Only one in ten (10%) don’t consider these days to be important enough to be celebrated.
Despite the fact that some people believe that celebrating Father's Day or Mother's Day is nothing but a marketing gimmick, the fact that most consider these days to be worthwhile, gives companies a sense of optimism.
Data was collected online among 1013 urban respondents in India by YouGov’s Omnibus between June 7th- 10th, 2022 using YouGov’s panel of over 20 million people worldwide.