The Indian luxury market has evolved in a dynamic manner. Consumers are more and more attracted to luxury fashion brands. The income levels have also risen which has given an opportunity to the consumers as well as the marketers. Luxury fashion brands are not only bought for their functional utility but are also purchased for its social utility as it helps the consumers to raise their social standards. This study attempts to understand the relationship between social comparison, ostentation and media habits. A structured questionnaire is employed to collect the data. Factor analysis and correlation are used to analyze the data. The findings suggest that media habits and ostentation are related to social comparison.

Indian consumers are adopting the global luxury brands and global lifestyles more conveniently and at much faster pace than anticipated. Internet has further enabled the companies to reach the Indian consumers in distant areas. It is estimated that Indian luxury market will touch $30 bn mark by 2015 and the country may become the world’s fifth largest consumer market by 2025. Laxman Narasimhan, Director, McKinsey rightly pointed that, “Between China and India you are looking at a quarter of the global luxury market in 2015. The growth in India between 2015 and 2020 will become even larger as more people come into the consumption curve. Nine million households will be targets for luxury or near luxury consumption. Nearly 42% of India’s wealthy households are in Delhi and Mumbai. Indian consumers really care about brands. Almost 22% of Indian consumers try foreign products and brands.”1 In India, as the income levels of middle class have gone up and they can afford the luxury products, the scope and opportunity for luxury brands is flourishing (Hauck and Stanforth, 2007).

Marketing Management, Social Comparison of Luxury, Fashion Brands, Impact of Ostentation, Media Habits.