Express firms offer discounts for India’s Rakhi celebrations

Express delivery firms in India have been laying on special promotions for customers sending gifts and messages to family members during the Raksha Bandhan celebration. The festival, also called Rakhi Purnima, gets underway today as the Subcontinent recovers this week from the world’s biggest power outage. The day sees Hindus, Sikhs and some Muslims celebrating the relationship between brothers, sisters and cousins.

Among express operators, Blue Dart Express has been offering specially-designed “Rakhi Envelopes” this year, as part of a customised “Rakhi Express” service.

FedEx Express has also been promoting its services for the special day, offering customers a 35% festive discount on some domestic and international Rakhi deliveries.

Blue Dart

The DHL-owned express delivery company Blue Dart said it has been offering 50% discounts on certain tariffs from 10th July to 4th August as it launched its new customised Rakhi Express service.

The company, which has more than 33,700 locations in India, has also been running a competition for customers to win TITAN watches.

It said the importance of connecting people during Rakhi was increasingly important as more Indian people move to other cities to pursue educations or careers.

Ketan Kulkarni, vice president and head of marketing, corporate communications and sustainability, said: “Our ‘Rakhi Express’ service will enable a brother and sister to celebrate this festive occasion although they may be miles apart.”

FedEx Express

The US integrator said it was offering a special 35% discount for customers to send Rakhis – bracelets celebrating the bond between siblings – and greeting cards via its FedEx International Priority shipping service and domestic FedEx Priority Overnight service.

The offer applies to packages up to 500g in weight, but FedEx Express is also offering a 20% discount on packages heavier than 500g.

A further promotional offer sees FedEx Express including a 20% shipping discount voucher along with its special FedEx Express Rakhi envelope for domestic deliveries, to allow gift recipients to send gifts back to their loved ones by 14th August.

FedEx Express has sourced special Rakhis and greeting cards for its customers to send from the National Association for the Blind, an NGO that supports the blind through education and training initiatives.

Rakesh Shalia, managing director for marketing at FedEx Express Middle East, India and Africa, said the Rakhi promotions were part of its understanding of its customers’ needs.

“On the special occasion of Raksha Banhan, we are delighted to offer this deal to help eliminate the distance between brothers and sisters and keep the time-honoured tradition of exchanging Rakhis and gifts alive,” he said.

FedEx has a workforce of 7,500 in India, where it operates its main hub in New Delhi and other hubs in Bengaluru and Mumbai.