Earlier this year Archies, a gifting and greeting cards brand, had unveiled its first-ever AI-powered advertising campaign, “The Mighty Shapeshifter,” ahead of Father’s Day. Blending the emotional storytelling synonymous with Archies and the creative possibilities of artificial intelligence, the campaign was a tribute to fathers and the countless roles they play throughout our lives.
In recent years Archie’s has focussed on areas like expanding beyond the Metros into Tier Two and Tier Three towns and cities, adopting an omnichannel strategy to leverage the impulse gifting opportunity.
Medianews4u.com caught up with Archies Executive Director Hanisha Gandhi.
Q. As the first woman to step into the role of Executive Director, what milestones from your 14-year journey shaped your vision for this transition?
Fourteen years have provided me with what no title can provide: a thorough grounding within all functions, all seasons, and all markets for this brand. The moments that defined me were not those that were heralded; rather, they were the challenging quarters, the franchise discussions that did not go according to plan, the campaigns that had to be reconsidered midstream.
These are what have created the instincts and confidence that I bring to this position. It is an honor to be the first woman Executive Director,but the real preparation happened quietly, long before the title arrived .
Q. You’ve said “nostalgia alone cannot create the future.” How do you preserve emotional equity with older generations while modernising for digital-first consumers?
Nostalgia is our foundation, not our strategy, and that distinction matters enormously. We preserve emotional equity by staying anchored to what Archies has always stood for: genuine, heartfelt expression.
What we modernise is the delivery, new formats like Archies Express, quick commerce, digital personalisation. The emotional truth stays constant. Only the language evolves.
Q. You’re launching aspirational yet affordable product lines. What do these look like, and how do they balance aesthetics with accessibility?
We are creating a line that demonstrates how affordability and aspiration are not mutually exclusive: contemporary design and luxurious finish, at an attainable price point, all combined. It comes from understanding the needs of a consumer who likes to give beautifully but does not necessarily have the budget for luxury items.
This is one of the most interesting product development exercises that we have embarked on in years.
Q. Consumers are shifting from occasion-only gifting to everyday and self-gifting. How is Archies’ marketing playbook capturing these “just because” moments?
“Just because” is probably the single most interesting trend that we see today, a gift that is made because of an emotion and not because of the date.
Marketing moves away from occasion-specific campaigns and into always-on communications that reflect spontaneous self-expression. And we are developing product lines that are specifically targeted at self-gifting and everyday use, because that trend will keep growing.
Q. How is Archies redesigning physical retail spaces to feel like an immersive emotional experience rather than just a transaction?
The visit to a retail store must leave an impression on you, and this is what all our decisions for design revolve around. We have designed the new Archies
Express format based on the idea of layout, lighting and curation focussed on the emotional element rather than the volume of products offered. In the case of gifting, it’s the experience in store that is the product.
Q. How does Archies use data analytics to track gifting behaviour without losing the brand’s human emotion?
Data tells us what is happening, emotion tells us why it matters, and we use both together, never one in place of the other. Analytics help us understand seasonal patterns, category preferences, and channel behaviour with real precision.
But the final creative and product decisions are always made with empathy and instinct, because no dataset has ever told us how a gift makes someone feel.
Q. How has quick commerce disrupted traditional gifting workflows, and what supply chain challenges has it created?
With quick commerce, what once took days has now been shrunk down to minutes, forcing us to entirely rethink our approach to inventory allocation, packaging time, and delivery. The hardest part has been establishing a level of agility within the supply chain that reflects the speed of the channel without sacrificing the gift-giving experience.
It’s been hard work, but the end result makes it all worthwhile.
Q. What does the ideal omnichannel gifting journey look like for an Archies shopper today?
The perfect journey would be an uninterrupted one, whereby a customer would be able to discover a product on Instagram, look at it on our website, purchase it on quick commerce, or even visit the store to feel the physicality of the product.
The channels should all connect in such a way that there is no disconnect. This is where we are investing.
Q. In a discount-driven e-commerce ecosystem, how does Archies use “emotion-led innovation” to build loyalty without price wars?
We have never tried to compete on price, for that is not a fight that creates loyalty; all it will do is provide one transaction at best.
Innovative thinking driven by emotions means we design both our products and our campaigns in order to foster true connections, connections that cause a consumer to return despite what a competing company is offering. Trust built up over 47 years is not something you can recreate with a flash sale.
Q. How do new lifestyle-adjacent categories and modern stationery move Archies from annual milestones to continuous daily presence?
Forgetting about the traditional calendar of occasions and moving on to adjacent areas related to lifestyle, along with introducing the latest trends in the stationery industry, enables Archies to get into someone’s life rather than just appearing during his/her birthday each year.
It is necessary for them to establish such a connection that would make people remember them more often than just once a year.
Q. How is Archies restructuring manufacturing, packaging, and sourcing to meet Gen Z’s eco-conscious expectations?
Sustainability is increasingly turning into one of the pillars that underpin our decision-making processes regarding products and packaging rather than just some lip service.
We are currently taking steps to ensure that our materials, procurement practices, and production process fit what a generation Z consumer expects from a trusted brand. This is no easy task since generation Z knows the difference.
Q. With the goal of becoming an “emotionally intelligent lifestyle brand,” what expansions or goals can we expect in the next 12-18 months?
Scaling of all that was done with purpose is set for the next 12-18 months – from opening more than Archies stores, increasing the depth of quick commerce presence and growing internationally.
In addition to this, we are introducing our new line of affordable but aspirational products and moving into adjacent lifestyle categories. The goal is clear: make Archies emotionally intelligent in consumer’s daily lives, not only on special occasions.
