Swiggy bets on curated gifting with Giftables to cash in on festive boom

Foodtech giant Swiggy on Thursday rolled out Giftables, a new on-demand gifting service, for users to order curated items such as cakes, flowers, perfumes, and electronics, delivered within an hour. The move comes ahead of India’s festive season, when consumer spending typically peaks.

The feature, live in Bengaluru and set to expand to Mumbai, Delhi, and other metros, lets customers combine multiple gifts into a single order. Deliveries can be made either to the buyer or directly to the recipient in 10 to 60 minutes.

Swiggy plans to add an AI-powered chatbot in the coming weeks that will suggest gift options based on the occasion, relationship, or recipient’s personality.

“At Swiggy, our vision is to offer unparalleled convenience to our customers. With Giftables, we’re solving a real consumer pain point. Gifting is often last-minute and full of uncertainty,” said Phani Kishan, Co-founder and Chief Growth Officer, Swiggy.

India’s festive season has fuelled bumper sales across quick commerce platforms, with Rakshabandhan driving unprecedented demand. Zepto reported selling more than 820 rakhis a minute at peak hour, over twice last year’s record, alongside a 150% surge in volumes and a 30% increase in average order value.

Instamart also recorded a sharp rise, with Rakhi orders climbing 3.5 times compared to 2024, festive hampers up 8x, and strong growth in sweets and chocolates. Flipkart Minutes experienced a fivefold jump in chocolate and gift box orders, a 12-fold spike in sweets, and a threefold increase in dry fruits.

Meanwhile, Swiggy also increased its platform fee to Rs 15 per order, its highest so far, as the company adjusts for higher demand during the festival season and rising operational costs.

The Bengaluru company had briefly tested a Rs 14 platform fee on Independence Day before pulling back to Rs 12. With order volumes climbing again, it has now pushed the levy higher.

Rival Zomato recently raised its own platform charge to Rs 12 per order. The platform fee—an extra line item distinct from delivery charges, GST, and restaurant commissions—was introduced in April 2023 at just Rs 2. Since then, both Swiggy and Zomato have steadily ratcheted up the levy, especially on high-demand days, expanding hikes more broadly when customer volumes remain steady.