Online travel platform MakeMyTrip on Thursday said it has witnessed an increasing trend of consumers opting to give online gift cards to their friends, relatives, and colleagues this wedding season.

MakeMyTrip has seen a 30 per cent increase in sales of travel 'Shagun' card this wedding season (Dec 22-Jan 23) compared to last year (Dec 21-Jan 22), it stated. 

Rs 10,000 card is the most sold denomination, followed by Rs 5,000, and Rs 1,000. The card allows couples to book holiday packages, hotels, flight tickets, train tickets, bus tickets, and fun activities.

"We have seen a direct correlation between the sale of online gift cards with the marriage season," said Raj Rishi Singh, chief business officer of MakeMyTrip. 

He shared that there is a growing trend of people wanting to gift experiences, a shift from the past when cash and gold were the only options. 

"We surveyed to understand the needs of the consumers, and two distinct groups emerged. High-flying executives between 45-55 years, keen to gift something memorable to their friends or relatives. The comparatively younger group, between 30-45 years, want to gift something thoughtful and trendy. Travel Shagun in the form of an online wedding gift card fits the bill for both categories," Singh added.

More than 47 per cent of online wedding gift card buyers added Rs 1 to the total as a symbol of Shagun. The pattern prompted MakeMyTrip to start gifting a Shagun of Rs 101 on every purchase.

Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Pune form the top 5 cities in terms of sales of the online gift cards. However, MakeMyTrip has observed increased traction from cities such as Patna and Jaipur, among the top 10 cities, the company stated.