Two dates decide whether a Diwali gifting programme lands or misses: 10 October 2026, when branded hamper orders close for dispatch, and 8 November 2026, Diwali itself.
Everything else is working backwards from those two dates. Here's the plan we give NCR teams, city by city.
Why the cutoff is earlier than people expect
Branded hampers need artwork approval, production, packing and dispatch — and in October the logistics network is saturated across NCR. The 10 October cutoff exists so that everything is delivered before Diwali week, not during it. If your programme includes logo branding on packaging, the binding constraint is your artwork, not your order date.
Week-by-week plan
| Window | What must be locked |
|---|---|
| Now (early October) | Headcount, budget band per recipient, and whether the gift is branded. This is the last week for comfortable customisation. |
| By 10 October | Branded hamper orders closed. Artwork approved, packaging chosen, delivery list confirmed. |
| Mid-October | Production and branding completed; samples approved for any new item. |
| Late October | Dispatch. NCR deliveries usually land within 1–3 working days; other cities take longer. |
| Early November | Deliveries complete — before the Diwali week begins, so gifts arrive while offices are still open. |
| 8 November | Diwali. |
What to decide first
- Recipient list and split. Employees, clients, or both — and how many of each. Client hampers often need higher value and individual addressing.
- Branded or unbranded. Personalisation adds time. If your artwork isn't final, unbranded premium packaging with a printed card is a legitimate plan B.
- Delivery strategy. Bulk to one office, or per recipient across NCR and beyond. Per-recipient is the safer choice for distributed teams and clients.
- Approval path. Establish now who signs off on artwork — a founder approving two days before the cutoff is a common reason programmes slip.
NCR specifics to plan for
- Office access windows. Many NCR towers restrict large deliveries to set hours. Confirm the receiving window before dispatch.
- Home deliveries in gated societies. Individual hampers to employees' homes need complete addresses with tower/flat and a contact number.
- Client gifting across cities. If your client list is nationwide, split the dispatch plan by city instead of trying to ship everything from one batch.
- Invoicing. One consolidated GST invoice per cycle keeps finance simple, especially when a programme spans teams and cities.
Common mistakes
- Leaving artwork approval to the last week of the window.
- Ordering apparel for festive hampers without collecting sizes early.
- Assuming a bulk delivery to one office will be distributed internally — that task lands on HR in the busiest month of the year.
- Forgetting the note card. A hastily printed card spoils an otherwise premium hamper.
Browsing early helps more than deciding early: see what's available in the Gifting Catalogue and shortlist three or four options per budget band before you ask for pricing. Most teams find the shortlist takes one working day and the deciding takes one meeting.
Questions we get from NCR buyers
When do branded Diwali hamper orders close?
10 October 2026, so that everything is delivered before Diwali on 8 November 2026.
Can we still order after the cutoff?
Unbranded items and stocked lines remain available subject to availability, but branded festive hampers need the lead time before the cutoff. Onboarding kits run year-round.
How long does delivery take across NCR?
Median 48-hour dispatch from our Manesar hub after artwork sign-off, then typically 1–3 working days within Delhi NCR.
Can hampers go to employees' homes?
Yes — per-recipient dispatch across 19,000+ PIN codes. Provide full addresses with tower/flat details and a contact number.
Get a shortlist for your headcount
Send the brief — headcount, budget band, occasion and delivery cities — and you'll have curated options with indicative pricing within one working day.
Request a quote