Gifting is part of the Indian culture, integrated into our heritage and social customs. Since India is a land of many occasions, it is natural for our society to give and receive gifts for every occasion. Creative packaging, personalized notes, boxes with special engravings have all played their part in making the gifting industry an indispensable part of our culture. With the rise of affluent lifestyles and increasing disposable incomes, it is estimated that the entire Indian gifting industry is worth about 250,000 crores.
Dipping her toes into the world of gifting is Neharika Sabharwal, who specializes in curated hampers best suited for occasions such as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, baby birth announcements and any other celebration under her brand Merakii Gifts. The brand began its journey in the year 2019, however Neharika joined in the year 2020 and soon became its whole and soul.
Bitten by The Creative Bug
Neharika always had a penchant for creativity thanks to her various roles in her college festivals’ creative departments. After completing her MBA, she thought that it would be better for her to pursue a more stable career as a product manager at a Bank. But she soon realized the corporate grind was not for her. Working a typical 9-5 job did not give her any satisfaction. She yearned to give a physical manifestation to her creative juices and decided to start her own business at the age of 25 with a small capital of Rs. 10,000.
“I started creating products and uploading them on my Instagram page. Slowly, I built followers and got a lot of appreciation for my products. When I was in college I was always in charge of décor and would love to come up with innovative ideas to enliven up a space. Eventually, after studying the wedding décor market, I took the plunge and decided to venture into wedding décor as well,” shares Neharika.
A Stroke of Luck
While most business faced temporary lulls due to the lockdown, Neharika’s business was booming.
“We would have clients who would tell us that it was their friend’s birthday but they were unable to meet them due to restrictions. So they would ask us to curate a personalized hamper with all their favourite things so that they could feel special on their big day.”
Building on her keen sense of aesthetic and knack for all things pretty, she decided that she could help people curate gift hampers for their special occasions. Currently based out of Mumbai, Merakii Gifts has served more than 500 happy clients and has a lot of celebrity clients as well. They undertake bulk orders in different cities such as Delhi, Pune, Kolkata as well and also provide delivery services.
The name Merakii means putting your heart and soul into something which is what the brand embodies. It is a labour of love which is done with absolute passion and devotion applied mostly to creative pursits. Neharika puts her heart and creativity into each project she undertakes thus making it an invaluable gift to the recipient. In future, Neharika has a vision to see Merakii Gifts on an international platform, decorating international venues and taking up foreign orders.
To know more, visit –
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/merakii_gifts/
To read more Startup Stories on The Business Press, visit — https://www.thebusinesspress.in/category/startup-stories/