How IGP.com is Disrupting the Gifting Industry

• Tell us about your entrepreneurial journey.

I started my career as a scientist working on India’s Tejas fighter aircraft before moving into technology and investment. My shift into entrepreneurship was driven by a realization—gifting in India was fragmented, impersonal, and often reduced meaningful moments into transactional exchanges.

With IGP.com, I wanted to reimagine how we celebrate relationships—blending personalization with speed, and emotion with technology. The journey has been anything but linear: solving last-mile logistics in a country as diverse as India, building scalable personalization engines, and earning trust in an emotion-driven industry. Each challenge reaffirmed my belief that gifting is not just commerce—it’s culture. Today, seeing IGP.com play a role in millions of celebrations is the most fulfilling validation of my leap from fighter cockpits to digital connections.

• What inspired you to start IGP.com?

The inspiration came during my college years, when being away from home meant missing out on festivals and special occasions. I realized how deeply gifting connects people—and how difficult it was to find the right gift, personalize it, and ensure timely delivery. That insight led to the creation of IGP.com: a platform that makes gifting effortless, meaningful, and memorable by combining curated products, scalable personalization, and reliable logistics—all while preserving the emotional essence of the gesture.

• When did you start IGP.com, and how has the journey been so far?

IGP.com took its current form in 2017. Since then, we've grown from a modest online platform into a global gifting destination, serving over 1,000 cities in India and delivering to more than 150 countries—fulfilling over 20 million orders.

The experience has been intense but incredibly rewarding. We’ve navigated complex logistics, scaled personalization technology, and expanded into new categories. Every challenge has helped us strengthen our systems and reaffirmed our mission of making gifting seamless and emotionally resonant.

• What are IGP.com’s expansion plans for FY26? Where do you see the company in the next five years?

For FY26, we plan to expand our dark store network from 60 to 200 locations across 40 cities, backed by an investment of ₹100 crore. We are also scaling our offline retail footprint. Internationally, we’re targeting new markets to raise our global revenue share to 25%.

In the next five years, we envision IGP.com as a global gifting powerhouse—making celebrations seamless across borders. Whether it’s an Indian in New York sending a gift to family in Lucknow, or a customer ordering next door, we aim to make that experience equally smooth, fast, and heartfelt.

• As a D2C brand, how has technology shaped IGP.com’s growth?

At IGP, technology is not just an enabler—it’s our core engine. From AI-driven product recommendations to proprietary personalization systems and optimized last-mile delivery, every aspect of the customer journey is powered by tech.

Our dark stores leverage predictive analytics to enable 30-minute hyperlocal deliveries in over 30 cities. On the front end, dynamic AI ensures product discovery is intuitive and timely, whether it’s for a birthday, festival, or spontaneous surprise. This robust tech infrastructure allows us to deliver a truly omnichannel experience as we expand both in India and globally.

• What are three key trends in the gifting industry right now?
• Hyper-personalization – Consumers increasingly seek gifts that reflect personal emotions, not generic offerings.
• Quick commerce – With 30-minute delivery becoming a reality, speed and convenience are now just as important as variety.
• Experiential & premium gifting – There’s growing demand for curated hampers, sustainable gifts, and experience-led options that create lasting memories.
  
  
• What are the three most in-demand gifting categories?
• Personalized Gifts – From engraved keepsakes to photo products, these add a unique emotional touch.
• Curated Hampers – Premium assortments for festivals, birthdays, and occasions are rising in popularity.
• Flowers – A timeless symbol of love and celebration, flowers remain a top choice across all events.
  
  
  
• How do you see the gifting industry evolving over the next five years?

The industry is transitioning from unorganized, last-minute purchases to structured, tech-enabled experiences. Over the next five years, gifting will be shaped by hyperlocal delivery, quick commerce, and AI-led personalization.

Tier II and III cities are emerging as powerful growth drivers due to digital adoption and rising aspirations. Cross-border gifting is also increasing, with the Indian diaspora sending love back home. Brands that blend emotional storytelling with operational excellence will define the next era of gifting.

• igp.com recently achieved 30-minute delivery in 30 cities. How did you prepare for this milestone?

This achievement is the result of extensive investment in tech and infrastructure. Over the past 18 months, we built a dense network of 60+ dark stores and implemented predictive inventory management.

We also introduced in-house personalization units, enabling us to produce and dispatch custom gifts—like engraved mugs or photo items—within minutes. Collaboration with hyperlocal delivery fleets further enhanced our speed. In essence, we re-engineered the gifting supply chain much like how food delivery was transformed a decade ago.

• What are your key markets, and why?

Our strongest markets are the major metros—Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune—due to high gifting frequency and demand for instant delivery.

Internationally, the US, UK, Canada, and the Middle East are key, driven by the Indian diaspora gifting to loved ones in India. These regions have high emotional relevance and strong order value.

Simultaneously, Tier II and III cities are becoming high-growth frontiers. With improving logistics and digital adoption, these cities represent the next big engine of growth, and we are aligning our expansion strategy accordingly.

• How important is influencer marketing in the gifting space? Have you explored it at IGP.com?

Influencer marketing is critical, especially in an emotionally driven category like gifting. People are influenced by relatable voices, and when creators share real, heartfelt moments, it builds trust and aspiration.

At IGP, we’ve collaborated with influencers—especially micro-creators—during peak occasions like Valentine’s Day, Rakhi, and Diwali. We also work with regional influencers to create localized, culturally relevant campaigns. This combination of authenticity and regional relevance makes influencer marketing a strong growth driver for us.

• How is IGP.com addressing the growing demand in Tier II and III markets?

Tier II and III cities are at the heart of our growth plans. Our dark store strategy is designed to reduce delivery time from days to hours in these areas.

We’ve localized our platform with regional language options, native payment methods, and curated product collections that reflect local traditions and festivals. By integrating tech with hyperlocal execution, we’re ensuring that premium gifting is accessible and seamless—no matter the location.