High-end, premium brands pivoting from metros to smaller towns: Tata CLiQ

High-end and premium brands are making a big geographical pivot from metros to smaller towns in India, according to a Tata CLiQ Luxury compilation that reviews India's evolving luxury landscape.

It also found that luxury buyers - led by a woke Gen Z - are increasingly conscious of responsible consumption with an eye on sustainability quotient.

Fuelled by the purchasing power of mature millennials and the rising Gen-Z demographic, the digital economy is reshaping consumption patterns and values, thus transforming how, when, and why consumers connect with brands and businesses, said Tata CLiQ Luxury's latest compilation - Thinking Beyond the Cart: Elevating Luxury E-commerce,' that deep dives into the luxury trends in 2025 and beyond.

Listing out the broad trends, it noted that high-end and premium brands are making a big geographical pivot from metros to smaller-town India and that the new luxury consumer is educated, and well-wired.

A growing quest for behind-the-scenes intel has made shopping intentional and research-driven, according to it.

The report also highlights how premium and luxury brands are breaking through the digital clutter by engaging their audiences with a customised shopping experience.

According to it, the value of a powerful and emotional narrative has never been stronger than it is, in the age of social media.

Brands are targeting share of mind, to get a share of wallet, it noted.

Other big takeaways pertain to luxury buyers, led by a woke Gen Z, increasingly taking note of how their purchasing decisions impact themselves and the world around them, it said underlining how "responsible consumption is coming in many shades of green".

Gen Z broadly refers to persons born between 1996 and 2010.

"High-end and premium brands are making a big geographical pivot from metros to smaller towns in India. Also, the new luxury customer is more educated, more empowered, and more wired, and a lot of research happens now before a transaction takes place," Gopal Asthana, Chief Executive Officer at Tata CLiQ, said on the top insights.

Asked about the outlook for 2025, Asthana said that the company is "positive".

"There are cycles in every economy. We know that some of the Western nations are going through difficult times, and many big countries also are going through difficult times and their economy, if not shrinking, is not growing either. But the Indian economy is growing," he told PTI.

The investments into infrastructure in India, and job creation are lending optimism to the 2025 outlook, he said.

"So I think there are a lot of positive things also, and there are a lot of things which we believe will become positive, as we go ahead. I see the year to be mixed and stable. There will be more for everyone to work on," he said.

The company remains positive about the 2025 outlook, he said.