A worker prepares gift hampers at a shop ahead of Eid al-Fitr in Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia, April 18, 2023.
Businesses selling hampers and gift baskets in Indonesia see better sales ahead of Eid al-Fitr, a festivity marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. (Photo by Bram Selo/Xinhua)
by Dames Alexander Sinaga
JAKARTA, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Businesses selling hampers and gift baskets in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim population country, see better sales ahead of Eid al-Fitr, a festivity marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Ahmad Susanto, the owner of a gift shop in Bekasi in West Java province, has been making fortunes in the past few days as demand for his hampers increased compared to last year.
"Last week, 30 parcels were sold each day at most, while this week, the average number is over 100 packages each day. This is exciting," he told Xinhua.
Eid al-Fitr in the Southeast Asian country falls on Saturday next week. Hamper giving is one of the traditions for Muslims in the archipelago, in addition to returning to their hometowns to celebrate the annual religious holiday with their family members.
The demand for gifts this year is higher than last year, said Susanto, who has run his business for over five years. Those who ordered his hampers are from Bekasi and neighboring towns such as Jakarta, Tangerang and Bogor. Prices of hampers sold at his store range from 100,000 rupiahs (around 6.6 U.S. dollars) to 1.8 million rupiahs (around 120 dollars).
"I've already reached my target this year. I'm grateful. Perhaps this is because the economy is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic," Susanto said, adding that he has added new staff to help him anticipate a surge of orders.
"Eid last year, we had five helpers, and now we have three more people assisting us. Meanwhile, on normal days, only my wife and I are in this store arranging the business," the 46-year-old man said.
Adi Sucipto bought several hampers from Susanto's store and will give them to his family and some friends in his hometown in Tegal, Central Java province when he visits them next week for the Eid celebration.
"Every Eid, we usually exchange gifts. It symbolizes prosperity and good fortune for the year ahead," said the 32-year-old accountant working in a private firm in Jakarta.
Like Susanto, Kartini Widjaja said she is seeing "greater profits" compared to last year in terms of hamper sales. Her hampers were sold only through e-commerce marketplace platforms, such as Tokopedia and Shopee.
According to her, the demand increased up to 50 percent compared to last year. To prepare 300 to 400 orders each day, Widjaja has hired three more workers.
The most popular hampers are those costing between 150,000 rupiahs (around 10 dollars) and 250,000 rupiahs (around 17 dollars), she added. Hampers containing food items that recipients have to prepare themselves are less popular.
"Some have already sold out," she said smilingly. "With people more into the festive mood of giving, we see more people willing to give hampers to their business associates or families and relatives." ■