Archive · 28 Aug 2026
Cakes, Flowers and Pets Expand Raksha Bandhan’s Festive Basket
Raksha Bandhan is traditionally a festival where siblings exchange a special thread called a rakhi.
Now, many people are also buying cakes, flowers, gifts and more expensive rakhis.
Some children even tie rakhis to their pets.
Shops and delivery companies are encouraging families to buy these extra items.
Cake shops and gift platforms are offering special Raksha Bandhan products.
Flowers are being sold with rakhis, chocolates and personalised messages.
Rakhis can now include characters, names, photographs, silver or gemstones.
This means the festival is becoming a larger shopping occasion, not just a time to buy a thread and sweets.
Raksha Bandhan is generating an estimated ₹30,000-32,000 crore in national trade, with ₹5,000-7,000 crore spent on accompanying products.
Retailers are selling pet-friendly rakhis, bandanas, treats and gift boxes as pets become part of family celebrations.
Cake-shop searches rose 38% in Chandigarh, 20% in Delhi and 9-12% in four other major cities, according to Justdial.
Flowers, premium rakhis, personalised gifts and jewellery are expanding the festival beyond its traditional thread-and-sweets focus.
Swiggy reported a 32.4% increase in festival food orders, while non-metro orders grew 38.1%.
- Who
- Families, retailers, bakeries, florists, jewellers, pet-care brands, gifting platforms and quick-commerce companies are involved; hospitality and retail expert Sheldon Santwan provided commentary.
- What
- Raksha Bandhan is expanding from a primarily rakhi-and-sweets ritual into a broader festive shopping occasion involving cakes, flowers, pets, gifts and premium rakhis.
- When
- The articles were published on August 28, 2026.
- Where
- Across India, including Chandigarh, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune; non-metro areas also recorded increased orders.
- Why
- Retailers are seeking to increase spending around the traditional rakhi purchase by creating new festival-related buying occasions.
- Estimated national trade
- ₹30,000-32,000 crore
- Estimated rakhi trade
- ₹25,000 crore, according to the Confederation of All India Traders
- Spending around the rakhi
- ₹5,000-7,000 crore
- Cake-search growth
- 38% in Chandigarh and 20% in Delhi; 9-12% in Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune
- Example cake prices
- Bakingo photo cakes from about ₹739; Theobroma’s Raksha Bandhan cake at ₹715
- Swiggy festival food orders
- Up 32.4%; non-metro orders increased 38.1%
- Basic rakhi price
- The articles cite ₹10 for a basic rakhi, while premium versions cost multiples of that price
