Young Indian consumers’ buying preferences seem to refute many paradigms related to consumer behavior. Their waning desire for strong brands is seen by marketers as an unpredicted development. This article examines the major influences on the buying behavior of the youth and explores what marketers can do to retain these consumers’ interest in their brands.

The change that we witness in the young consumers’ buying preferences seems to raise many questions against some conventionally-held beliefs related to buying behavior. One of the major ones in needed for young consumers to reflect their personality anymore. One cannot assume otherwise, seeing the way young consumers prefer to purchase lifestyle products. Understanding this change is of vital importance for marketers, as the majority of Indian population is below the age of 40 and one-fifth of the entire nation is in the age bracket of 16 to 25 years. So, the sheer size of the market makes this probe worthwhile. There is no doubt that this new Indian consuming class also expects to portray its personality type through its dress code and patronage for various fashion-accessories. But, do they take refuge in strong brands? Doubtful! These consumers are basically venturesome, compared to their previous generations. They embrace products which meet their unique needs, but do not seem to expect their products to represent big brands. The pace at which they go for untried designs or contemporary features in various product categories is a testimony to this. The ‘innovator’ category of consumers in this age-group is of huge size and is undoubtedly a larger lot than that of any other age group. This desire for quick adoption is what is driving the business of many mushrooming malls across various towns which stock and display a newer collection of products. They are able to appeal to these young consumers because they constantly bring in ‘newness’ in their products, though the respective brands are lesser known or unknown. This pattern of consumer purchases is validated by the recent Boston Consulting Group’s estimates which say that Indian apparel industry is of the size of Rs. 1,50,000 cr and 80% of this is contributed by unfamiliar brands.

What are the primary drivers of this evolving behavior of youngsters? The following indicate the underlying reasons behind their conscious trade-offs.

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