Why Gift Cards Are Trumping Traditional Gifts This Diwali 

*This article is a sponsored feature by Lifestyle

Don't spend all your time waiting in never-ending queues fretting over what to buy your loved ones and colleagues this festive season. Save yourself the time and hassle, and get the Lifestyle gift card (can be purchased online and across Lifestyle stores in India) – it will make everyone happy, including you and your wallet.

With the festive season just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about buying presents for all the important people in your life. Whether you are looking for a suitable gift for family members, friends, employees or even clients, gift cards are an option worth considering this Diwali.

The Lifestyle gift card offers an extensive choice in merchandise across clothes, accessories, and home furnishings, which means that there's something for everyone, even the fussy and hard-to-please people in your life.

Features of the Lifestyle Gift Card

• Can be gifted to anyone in any age group, on any occasion

• An extensive range of products to choose from, including clothes, footwear, watches and home furnishings

• No service charge or delivery fee to worry about

• A convenient e-gift card version that can be sent to anyone within 24 hours of purchase

• Easy to purchase and distribute for individual customers and corporate houses

• Redeemable over a large network of stores across the country, even during sales, offers and promotional periods

Most of us dread the prospect of buying presents that will either go unappreciated or, worse still, remain unused. This is where a gift card comes handy – it make the giver’s life a little bit easier by relieving them of the stress of finding the perfect present for everyone they know.

At the same time, it provides the freedom of choice to the recipients who can buy whatever suits their fancy instead of being stuck with presents they don’t care about.

We all know that returning or exchanging an item we don’t like or clothes that are the wrong size or colour can be a hassle. Besides, it can be tricky explaining to your favourite aunt why you’re not wearing the “lovely” kurta (completely hideous by your standards) that she gave you. And what do you say to your boss when he asks if you enjoyed the box of treats (containing every Indian sweet you hate) that you received from him for Diwali?

A gift card can avoid such awkward situations involving people who mean well but are completely clueless about the recipient’s likes and dislikes. It can be easily procured and distributed by corporate and business houses, and makes a much more thoughtful and exciting gift than a box of chocolates, a pen set, company calendars, or New Year diaries.

Another advantage of a gift card is that it helps you save both time and money. For instance, if you are purchasing gifts for a lot of people who know each other you can decide on a fixed amount for each card (you can load your Lifestyle gift card for as little as Rs 500). This also prevents comparisons about who got the better gift since everyone gets the same amount to spend on their gift cards.

The Lifestyle gift card can be given to anyone across all age groups which means that you don’t have to hop all over town, across different retail stores, during the chaotic festive period looking for different gifts for the different people in your life. What is more, the card can be redeemed multiple times by the receiver till the balance amount is exhausted, even during sale, offers and promotional periods.

A gift card is also an ideal option for practical and set-in-their-ways people, like parents or elderly relatives, who never spend money on themselves. Giving them a gift card from a store where they can purchase something they need, or may not have the money for, is a win-win for everybody concerned.

Another interesting feature of the Lifestyle gift card is its electronic version – you can choose the convenient option of emailing an e-gift card to anyone you want within 24 hours of purchase. Also, if you have forgotten someone on your gift giving list, you can arrange to send an e-gift card even at the last minute. Your Lifestyle e-gift card can be loaded with as little as Rs 100 and has the same benefits of a physical gift card.

Gift cards certainly make giving and receiving more fun. They are a hassle-free way of giving something that your loved ones can enjoy choosing for themselves. In a nutshell, a gift card is less likely to remain unused compared to traditional presents, easier to keep track of, an excellent way to budget your festive shopping, and the best last-minute present of all.

Go easy on yourself this Diwali and grab some gift cards from your nearest Lifestyle store. There’s zero service charge, no delivery fee to worry about, and you can be pretty sure that your gift will be put to good use by the recipients who can buy what they want across the large network of Lifestyle, Home Centre and Melange stores across the country.