With festival days on the horizon and hearts yearning for thoughtful gestures, digital gifting is evolving into something more than a convenience – it becomes a way to feel close over distance, culture, and schedules. In India, where technology and tradition blend together seamlessly each day, virtual gifting is on a rapid upswing. By 2025, virtual gifting is more than sending an e-card – it’s gifting experiences, a subscription, smart gadgets, or digitally meaningful gifts, all sentimental to the gift giver.
This is a feature-style exploration of virtual gifting ideas for Indian festivals: gift cards, gadgets, subscription services, and how to choose something that feels like a hug and not merely a transaction.
Table of Contents
Rise of Digital Gifting in India
India’s digital gifting and gift card market has been growing at a dramatic rate. The digital gift card market is expected to grow at approximately 16% compounded annual growth rate between now and 2032.
In addition to this, the overall gifting market in India (physical & digital) is expected to increase from $75.16 billion in 2024 to $92.32 billion by 2030.
What is contributing to this shift? Convenience, mobile penetration, UPI, and real-time payments, plus a younger generation that demands quicker, easier, and more convenient experiences.
However, digital gifting is not just about speed. The biggest wins come from gifts that feel personal, surprise the recipient, and create experiences. Let’s take a look at some categories that get this right – and some examples that you can try.
Digital Gift cards and vouchers
Gift cards are still the foundation of gifting remotely; a gift card that has been discreetly selected is, for many gift card recipients, akin to saying: “I trust your judgement, and I want you to enjoy the selection for yourself.”
What makes it work:
- Instant Delivery via email, WhatsApp, and SMS.
- Low-friction – redeemable across categories: shopping, entertainment, food.
- Ubiquity – virtually everyone already knows how to use them.
- Ability to personalize – many platforms now allow you to create messages added to gift cards, photo gift cards, and animated gift cards.
Some good picks:
- Google Play Gift Card: very flexible for Android users to spend towards apps, games, movies, or books.
- CHHAPA Digital Gift Card: beneficial for local services or regional digital content, as long as CHHAPA is accepted.
- CherishX Digital Frame: While it is not a traditional gift card and more of a digital keepsake, it allows for personalization (name and photo), but in a digital way.
Examples of other common gift card categories in India are: Amazon Pay, Flipkart e-gift, Google Play, Steam Wallet, Myntra, Zomato, Uber, and service vouchers.
Gift cards are no longer limited to personal use; they are continuously being embraced in corporate rewards, marketing promotions, and employee incentives. Furthermore, personalization is a significant trend, with Amazon Pay Gift Cards enabling users to upload photos or artwork, thereby adding an emotional factor to a digital product. Lastly, gift cards are now often paired with UPI and local wallets, simplifying the redemption process for a wider recipient range.
Smart e-gadgets
A digital gift does not have to stay in the cloud, as some smart gadgets bring digital and physical worlds:
- WiFi digital photo frames, where friends or family can add photos remotely, make a great gift that grows and evolves into something new. For example, XElectron released a 15.6-inch WiFi digital photo frame, which allows loved ones to share experiences in real-time.
- Smart plugs/IoT (internet of things) devices – If someone is taking advantage of smart home technology, a smart bulb, plug, or sensor is not only practical but means something.
- Subscription boxes+tech to go with them – A subscription (to a magazine or a learning app or the like) plus a device (like a tablet or reading light) can create a more tangible gift.
Subscription Gifts
Subscriptions turn a one-time gift into recurring happiness. The user’s first task is choosing a theme/topic that fits the recipient’s interests:
- Streaming / entertainment: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, and regional OTT services (SunNXT & Zee5).
- Music/audio: Spotify Premium, Gaana Plus, Apple Music, Audible, and audiobook services.
- Education & learning: Language-learning apps (like Duolingo), coding services, skill-based classes (Udemy / Coursera), or craft/DIY kits with online instructions.
- Health & wellness: Subscriptions for meditation apps, fitness apps, or premium access to yoga/learning platforms.
- Gaming/content: Game passes, in-game currency, or premium access to content of a mobile game or console.
A well-thought-out subscription communicates “I know you” instead of “I got you something from the generic list.”
Virtual Experiences
Often, the most excellent digitally gifted experience is an event. The premise is to offer a shared memory, even if not in person.
- Online concert tickets or even sessions with the artist, numerous live music (musicians) provide a live stream or virtual sessions that provide entertainment in various forms, especially around festival time.
- Online workshops, classes, masterclasses – Cooking, dance, art, photography, for instance. A festival gift could be an e-ticket to a Diwali cooking class with the chef.
- Digital care packages – Curated digital care package. For example, an “India Festival Pack”piecetogether an eBook in a regional language, eWallpapers, app discounts, and other items, not an individual gift or 2-3 individual gifts.
- Games/app bundles – if someone loves mobile games, a thoughtful gift would be a bundle of premium game apps or season passes.
Digital Gold and Financial Assets
Gold is a traditional gift for festivals in Indian culture, and the digital variation combines tradition and modernity.
- Digital gold is an increasingly popular gifting option, and platforms like SafeGold and MMTC-PAMP allow individuals to buy fractional gold (that can be as low as a few rupees) that is stored in vaults.
- Gifting cryptocurrency/stablecoins is more niche and risky, but, for a tech-savvy recipient, this is an option with sufficient disclosures and disclaimers.
- Mutual fund/investment vouchers or startup equity gift cards do exist in some markets; these provide a gift that can thereafter grow.
Conclusion
Digital gifts can be just as impactful as physical gifts if they carry an intention. A well-timed virtual card can arrive when whatever it is the recipient cares about or misses is far away; a framed picture can help you feel like you are there; and a subscription can serve as a fitting monthly reminder of your thoughtfulness.
This holiday season, the best gifts will be the gifts that combine connection, personalization, and functionality. Digital tools give us speed and reach; the human touch reinforces that they feel like moments and not transactions. And as gifting in India continues to go digital, the gift card market is estimated to reach USD 10.45 billion in 2025. It feels like we have more room than ever to choose gifts that can delight now and resonate later.
