The Post-Diwali Inventory Problem
You planned for ₹20L in festive sales. You hit ₹15L. Now you have ₹5L worth of festive-themed inventory that’s losing relevance every day.
The wrong approach: Slash everything 50% off and pray it moves. This teaches customers to never buy full price and damages brand equity.
The right approach: A strategic multi-channel clearance over 4-6 weeks.
Strategy 1: Bundle the Unsold
- Create ‘Mystery Boxes’ or ‘Lucky Boxes’ — 3-5 products at 40% off combined retail price
- Customers love the surprise element. Brands report 70-80% sell-through on mystery boxes.
- Include 1-2 bestsellers + 2-3 slow movers in each box
- Price at ₹999/1,499/1,999 — psychological price points that feel like value
Strategy 2: Channel Diversification
- List on marketplaces — If you’re D2C-only, list festive inventory on Amazon/Flipkart. Different audience = fresh demand.
- Flash sales on WhatsApp — ‘Exclusive for our VIP customers — 40% off festive collection, 24 hours only.’ Higher conversion than email.
- Instagram Live sale — Live selling events create urgency and excitement. Show products, answer questions in real-time.
- Offline pop-up — Weekend pop-up stall at a market or mall. Physical touch + discount = high conversion for clearance.
Strategy 3: Staggered Discounts
- Week 1-2 (Nov): 20% off for email/WhatsApp subscribers only. Rewards loyalty.
- Week 3-4 (Nov): 30% off site-wide clearance. Broader audience.
- Week 5-6 (Dec): 40-50% on remaining items. Last push before writing off.
- This captures willingness-to-pay at each level instead of going to maximum discount immediately.
Strategy 4: Gifting Pivot
- Reposition festive inventory as Christmas/New Year gifts
- Create gift sets with premium packaging
- Run ‘Perfect Gift Under ₹1,000’ campaign
- Corporate gifting angle — approach companies for employee/client gift orders
When to Write Off
After 6 weeks of clearance efforts, if inventory is still sitting:
- Donate to charity — Tax deduction + brand goodwill + clears warehouse space
- Employee sales — Offer remaining stock to employees at cost price
- Repurpose materials — For food/beauty brands, use ingredients in new product formulations
- Accept the loss — Carrying dead inventory costs warehouse space and working capital. Sometimes cutting losses early is the smarter financial move.
Prevention for Next Festive Season
- Order 80% of projected demand, not 100% — It’s cheaper to sell out early than to hold excess inventory for months.
- Use pre-orders to gauge demand — ‘Pre-order your Diwali collection with 10% early-bird discount.’ Actual pre-orders predict demand better than any forecast.
- Plan clearance BEFORE the season starts — Decide clearance channels, discount tiers, and timelines in August, not November.
Need Help With Inventory Management?
At Growww Tech, we help D2C brands with inventory planning, festive strategy, and post-festive clearance optimization. Let’s plan your inventory better.
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