Turn Gift Cards into a Behaviour

A growth hacking plan at the intersection of technology, marketing, press, and psychology — designed to make Flipkart Gift Cards the default gifting behaviour in India.

51 → 55
Consideration Score
+5%
Organic GC Business
75M
Target Users
Q2–Q3
2026 Timeline
The Philosophy

Growth Hacking ≠ Just Marketing

Every strategy in this plan operates at the intersection of at least two of these forces.

Technology

Automate triggers, personalise at scale, build viral loops into the product itself

📢

Marketing

Messaging, channels, creatives, media — the amplification layer

📰

Press

Earn attention you can't buy. Make the product the story.

🧠

Psychology

Loss aversion, social proof, scarcity, reciprocity, identity signalling

Foundation

The Three Pillars

Pre-conditions that must be baked into the product. Without these, strategies work at 30%. With them, 100%.

Pillar 01

The Value Multiplier

"I spent ₹1,000. They can spend ₹1,200–₹1,500."
  • Buyer pays ₹1,000 → Recipient gets ₹1,200 spending power on select categories
  • During sale events, value jumps to 1.5x (₹1,500)
  • Turns gift cards from "lazy gift" into "smart gift"
  • Dynamic multiplier engine tied to category margins, inventory surplus, and sale calendars
Technology Psychology
Pillar 02

The Kickback Loop

"I gifted ₹1,000. I got ₹200–₹300 in SuperCoins back."
  • Every gift card sent earns the sender SuperCoins (not cash — stays inside Flipkart's ecosystem)
  • Gift 1 = 200 coins · Gift 3 = 500 coins · Gift 5 = 1,000 coins + "Gifting Pro" badge
  • Variable reward schedule (most addictive mechanic in psychology)
  • Real-time push notification: "You just earned 300 SuperCoins for being a great friend"
Rewards Psychology
Pillar 03

Exclusivity & Scarcity

"This card isn't available to everyone. You were chosen."
  • Certain cards are invite-only, occasion-locked, or celebrity-branded
  • You can't buy them with money — only unlock by being invited or meeting a condition
  • The Clubhouse playbook applied to gift cards
  • Invite-tree tracking, unique card IDs, and unlock conditions engine
Scarcity FOMO
The Playbook

12 Growth Strategies

Each strategy has a built-in viral loop. Nothing is one-and-done. Every gift card sent creates the next one.

Earned Media

Press & PR Stunts

Headlines you can't buy. Stories that write themselves.

01

India's Most Expensive Gift Card

A single ₹10 lakh card with 2x multiplier (₹20L value). Auctioned for charity. Every news outlet covers "₹10 lakh gift card trends on Twitter."

02

The Gift Card Wedding

Sponsor a real couple's wedding registry — entirely on Flipkart GCs. Guests give GCs instead of cash. Documented as a YouTube/Reels docu-series.

03

The ₹1 Card Challenge

₹1 gift card — but if 1 million people buy it in 24 hours, every card becomes ₹500. Collective action mechanic. Goes viral because everyone has skin in the game.

04

Celebrity Gift Card War

Two celebrities compete on who sells more exclusive GCs. Live counter on Flipkart. Fans buy cards to "support" their star. Pewdiepie vs T-Series energy.

Technology Layer

The Martech Stack

Without martech, this plan is a pitch deck. With it, it's a machine.

Full Architecture

Data
CDP
User profiles (75M+)
Gift Graph
Relationship tracking
Event Stream
Real-time triggers
Intelligence
Personalisation
Amount + celebrity matching
Wishlist AI
Auto-curation engine
Category Steering
Margin optimisation
Orchestration
Journey Builder
Birthday, Reciprocity, Chain
Segmentation
Real-time audiences
A/B Testing
Copy, timing, channel
Delivery
WhatsApp
Gupshup BSP
Push
MoEngage
SMS
Kaleyra
Email
MoEngage
Engagement
Gamification
Scratch, leaderboards, badges
Deep Linking
Branch.io
Unwrap UX
Shake-to-reveal
Measurement
Analytics
Mixpanel / Amplitude
Attribution
Appsflyer
Social Listening
Meltwater
Creative
Dynamic Creative
Rocketium
Influencer Mgmt
CreatorIQ
Execution

Phased Rollout: Q2–Q3 2026

Foundation first, then celebrity drops, then scale, then the mega push.

April 2026

Phase 1: Foundation

  • Ship value multiplier engine, SuperCoin kickback, Birthday Engine
  • Launch ₹99 Micro Card, WhatsApp sticker GC, Group Gift Card
  • Test Mystery Multiplier with 10K users
May 2026

Phase 2: Celebrity Drop

  • Mother's Day Vault — first occasion countdown
  • First Celebrity Vault Card drop (1 mega + 2 regional + 5 micro-creators)
  • PR Stunt: "India's Most Expensive Gift Card" auction
  • Launch Unwrap experience + Gifting Leaderboard
June – July 2026

Phase 3: Scale

  • Social Chain launch (viral loop goes live)
  • Best Friend Day + Father's Day Vault cards
  • Corporate Takeover: pilot with 10 companies
  • PR Stunt: "The Gift Card Wedding"
  • Reciprocity engine activated (enough gifting data now)
August 2026

Phase 4: Mega Push

  • Raksha Bandhan Vault — 100K cards (biggest drop)
  • Independence Day Vault
  • Celebrity Gift Card War (brother vs sister celebrities)
  • Full corporate rollout
  • ₹1 Gift Card Challenge (if data supports the risk)
Measurement

How We Track Success

Every metric ties back to the 51 → 55 consideration score objective.

Metric Current Target Tracked Via
Consideration Score5155Brand tracking survey
Organic GC Business (Q2+Q3)Baseline+5%Revenue dashboard
Gift Cards Sent / MonthBaseline+30%Product analytics
Viral Coefficient (R₀)<1>1.2Chain / invite tracking
Avg. GC ValueBaseline+15%Transaction data
Repeat Gifters (2+ in 90d)Baseline+40%Cohort analysis
WhatsApp GC Shares0500K/monthWhatsApp API analytics
UGC Posts050K/monthSocial listening (Meltwater)
B2B → B2C Conversion0%5%Funnel tracking
The Takeaway

Why This Wins

Built-in Viral Loops

Nothing is one-and-done. Every gift card sent creates pressure and incentive for the next one. R₀ > 1 by design.

Three Pillars Amplify Everything

Multiplier + kickback + exclusivity turn good campaigns into a self-sustaining growth engine.

Technology Does the Heavy Lifting

Birthday engine, reciprocity nudges, chain tracking — all automated. Low marginal cost at massive scale.

Press is Earned, Not Bought

Celebrity cards, the ₹1 challenge, the gift card wedding — headlines without media budgets.

Psychology in the Product

Loss aversion, reciprocity, scarcity, social proof, variable rewards — embedded in mechanics, not just messaging.

The gift card stops being a product.

It becomes a behaviour.