For premium chocolate and dessert brand SMOOR, festive gifting has become an important part of its business, contributing an estimated 25–30% of overall revenue. With Diwali approaching, the company is expanding its gifting options while preparing for its next phase of growth.
The brand’s festive catalogue features around 50–60 hamper options, with packaging ranging from wooden boxes and tins to board and sustainable bamboo formats. Corporate customers can also personalise hampers with customised colours, messages, logos and chocolates.
The festive period is significant for marketing as well. SMOOR allocates approximately 25–30% of its annual marketing budget to October, November and December, supporting seasonal campaigns and in-store visual merchandising.
SMOOR 2.0: Moving Beyond Chocolate
As it enters its next decade, SMOOR is refreshing its brand identity through an initiative called SMOOR 2.0. The objective is to reflect the company’s evolution from a chocolate-focused brand into a broader destination for desserts, bakery products and food experiences.
Its portfolio now extends to cakes, pastries, macarons, baklava, cookies and other desserts alongside its core chocolate range. The repositioning is reflected in the new campaign thought, “United by Flavors,” which brings together the brand’s expanding assortment and different consumer preferences.
The refreshed identity is being introduced gradually through updated packaging and store designs. The move builds on the brand’s earlier positioning around “true chocolate” while giving its broader portfolio a more unified identity.
Online Channels Now Contribute 40% of Revenue
SMOOR’s sales mix has shifted as online ordering and digital commerce have grown. According to the company, offline channels previously contributed around 80% of revenue, with online accounting for the remaining 20%. The current mix is approximately 60% offline and 40% online.
The online business includes its direct-to-consumer platform, as well as quick-commerce services such as Blinkit and Zepto. The company is also developing products specifically for quick-commerce platforms, allowing it to respond to channel-specific pricing and consumer needs.
Its festive range combines familiar Indian flavours with contemporary formats. Offerings include kaju katli chocolate bars, motichoor ladoo bars, mithai truffles and desserts such as rasmalai-inspired tiramisu and gulab jamun cheesecake. The approach gives consumers a blend of traditional tastes and modern dessert formats.
Balancing Cafés With the Core Brand
Alongside chocolates and desserts, SMOOR operates cafés and lounges serving food and beverages. However, the company intends to retain its identity as a premium chocolate and dessert destination rather than being perceived as a conventional café.
Food offerings provide additional choices for groups visiting its outlets, while chocolate, hot chocolate and chocolate-based desserts remain central to the brand proposition. The company is also seeing demand for cakes and desserts through food-delivery platforms.
A Focus on Digital Marketing and Consumer Advocacy
SMOOR’s marketing approach combines social media, influencer collaborations, word of mouth, retail visibility and selected traditional media. Rather than relying heavily on celebrity endorsements, the brand has focused on product experiences and customer advocacy.
Food creators and chefs are among the influencers it works with, with selection driven by relevance to the product and its consumption occasions, rather than reach alone.
The festive quarter receives a substantial share of annual marketing investment. The brand also uses social media and digital publications, alongside radio in markets such as Mumbai and Bengaluru, while experimenting with different channels to assess their effectiveness.
Expansion Plans Include Hyderabad and Delhi-NCR
SMOOR is using online demand from cities beyond its established retail markets to help inform future expansion. Chandigarh, Indore, Nagpur, Jaipur, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad are among the cities showing demand through online orders.
The company has plans to enter Hyderabad and is exploring a flagship location in Delhi-NCR. International markets, including Dubai, are also under consideration, although overseas expansion is not an immediate priority.
The brand is also updating its physical retail presence to reflect the refreshed identity, with new store formats and redesigned façades forming part of the rollout.
Turning Chocolate Into an Experience
Another part of SMOOR’s strategy is its Bengaluru Experience Centre, where visitors can explore the manufacturing facility, learn about the bean-to-bar process and create personalised chocolate bars using different ingredients.
The initiative is intended primarily to deepen consumer engagement and build a stronger relationship with the brand, rather than operate as a standalone revenue stream. The company has received interest in bringing similar experiences to other cities, potentially through smaller formats.
As SMOOR looks ahead, its challenge is to broaden its appeal without losing the premium positioning that defines the brand. By combining festive gifting, new product categories, digital commerce, retail expansion and immersive experiences, it is working to establish itself as more than a chocolate brand.