Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The festival of Raksha Bandhan is just around the corner and the markets are brimming with all types of rakhis, from the simple silk threads to carefully crafted rakhis with delicate beads and sequins work. But, what underlies the hustle and bustle of the rakhi market in Bhopal is the struggle among sellers to fight the adverse impact of growing e-commerce business, soaring inflation and new purchasing habits of the customers after two years of Covid-19 pandemic.
Krishna Raj, owner of Raj Bangles, New Market said, “Due to inflation, the rate of rakhis is up by 40% this year. After corona, people have developed the habit of online shopping and prefer buying rakhis on e-commerce sites such as Amazon, Flipkart. Even though the pandemic is over, there has been no change in sales since last year.” He further added, “This is all handicraft work, what more varieties can we bring to lure customers?”
Many online shopping platforms are offering free delivery service on purchase of rakhi from their website. Moreover, the benefits of exclusive and personalised gifts are tempting people to avoid the rush at markets.
“The market is definitely down this year. We bring these rakhis from Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad. All of this is made in India but nothing seems to particularly interest the customers,” said Manish Srivastava, another rakhi seller in New Market. When asked if corona still seems to impact customers’ purchasing power, he said, “Of Course it is. People still find the normal rates expensive.”
Sumitra, a resident of TT Nagar, who was buying rakhi to courier to her brother living in Kanpur said, “Apart from increased rates I don’t see anything new in the market. But, there are still a few days left for rakshabandhan, so let’s see.”
(Contributed by Anamika Pathak )
