Ferrero encourages retailers to make more of Diwali
MANY more religious holidays are celebrated in the UK than just Christmas.
For instance, there are an estimated 25,000 Hindus and Sikhs in Scotland, and Diwali, the Hindu ‘festival of light’, falling on 19 October this year (and celebrated by many as a five day festival), will see them looking for special gifts to share and give to families and friends.
However, last year confectionery giant Ferrero carried out extensive research to understand the opportunity that Asian festivals such as Diwali or Eid can offer, which it said revealed that 71% of retailers do not actively engage around the occasion with their customers.
With its research showing 65% of retailers stating that boxed chocolates are most commonly bought as a gift during Asian festivals, Ferrero has suggested promoting its own Ferrero Rocher brand, the colour of which is in keeping with Diwali’s golden theme.
Ferrero said its own efforts to help retailers boost sales around Diwali last year had proved very successful, improving sales by an average 27%.
Levi Boorer, customer development director, said: “Ferrero Rocher touches a chord with people of all ages and its golden uniqueness makes it the perfect gift during Diwali. Investing in the research and seeing the strong results from the retailers in return just cements the opportunity that is present for boxed chocolates during Diwali and in the lead up to Christmas.
“It is important that retailers plan in advance to keep up to date with what events are coming up in-store and look for ways to maximise them further. Whether it’s by creating theatre in-store, secondary sightings or via social media channels it is important to let your community know about occasions that are upcoming so you can get the most out of your sales during this period.
“Ferrero is committed in helping retailers get the most out of occasions and will be supporting Diwali with bespoke POS solutions this year, encouraging retailers to ‘Celebrate Diwali with Ferrero’.”
