Indian Consumers

Most Indians now pay for online content; gaming leads in spending: Lumikai

Majority of Indians now pay for accessing content online with gaming dominating the pie in wallet share for payment size of over Rs 1,000, a survey has found, said a top official of the gaming and interactive content focused venture capital firm Lumikai. Lumikai Founder and Managing Partner Salone Sehgal told PTI that the survey covered around 3,000 mobile phone users across the country between September 2024 and September 2025. The report found that 80 per cent of those consumer bases use UPI for payments, and at least 40 per cent maintain three or four active subscriptions. She said the trend reveals that India's digitally native audience is young, data-hungry, and highly willing to pay. "We did a deep dive into where people are spending that time and what is the attention share and how does it slice. of course, social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, YouTube are a very dominant part of that but I think what was more interesting was that gaming attention share stands at about

Regulators have an issue to solve: Balancing dynamic pricing's cost

Pricing decisions rely on mathematical calculations. Over time, the practice has transitioned from a unitary method to probability

Consumer confidence up marginally, inflation seen easing ahead: RBI survey

RBI surveys indicate consumer confidence improved in September 2025 in both urban and rural areas, with inflation expectations softening and manufacturers retaining optimism

NCH receives 3K GST-related complaints post tax cuts: Consumer Affairs secy

Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare on Monday said the government's National Consumer Helpline (NCH) has received 3,000 complaints related to GST since the implementation of reduced taxes. "We have so far received 3,000 consumer complaints. We are sending them to the CBIC (Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs) for further action," Khare told reporters on the sidelines of an event. The Consumer Affairs Ministry is closely monitoring instances where consumers are being cheated through misleading discount practices to avoid passing on the benefits of reduced GST rates, she said. The ministry is deploying artificial intelligence and chatbot technology to get a clearer picture of complaints across various sectors, she added. The complaints mechanism comes amid concerns that retailers may not be fully passing on the benefit of GST rate reductions to consumers, prompting the government to strengthen its monitoring systems.

Over 80% Indian consumers list food safety as top driver in choices

A PwC India survey found over 80% of Indian consumers prioritise food safety, demanding clean labels, certifications, and sustainable choices while balancing cost concerns

Consumer industry executives ask government to monitor price changes

Industry bodies highlight issues in GST implementation, seek further clarity

Consumers to see reduced prices of FMCG products by next month: Godrej MD

Consumers will start getting FMCG products at reduced prices only by early or mid-next month, as goods take time to reach markets with the new MRPs, Godrej Consumer Managing Director and CEO Sudhir Sitapati has said. The reduction of tariff to 5 per cent has also created "some short-term disruptions", as the industry operates on an MRP regime, and dealers and companies are sitting on stocks with high MRPs, he added. "The FMCG sector operates on an MRP regime, and stocks that dealers and companies are sitting on today are at higher MRPs. Simply passing on money to trade does not guarantee that it reaches consumers directly. It will take a little time before new MRPs flow into the market," he said. "By early or mid-next month, consumers will start seeing reduced prices on FMCG products," he pointed out. The all-powerful GST Council last week decided to reduce taxes on most of the common-use goods as part of the government's measure to boost consumer spending, including hair oil, soap

Defiance won't beget India respect, export-focused manufacturing base will

One of the best ways to judge the impact of any policy is to check its effect on stock prices of companies, supposedly benefiting

Unlocking India's mass market potential needs creative policy push

Strengthening domestic consumption needs creative policies encouraging new economy business models that can develop and deepen India's mass markets comprising small consumers and small suppliers

Retailers, online firms may score big over Independence Day weekend

Raksha Bandhan cheer rolls into the holiday break, with fashion and consumer durables eyeing a near double-digit sales lift

Reliance acquires home appliances firm Kelvinator for undisclosed sum

Deal will enable Reliance Retail to significantly broaden offering in consumer durables sector, company says

Indian consumer seeking attractive pricing: Trent Chairman Noel Tata

While addressing shareholders, he said, "We are growing the desirability of our offerings and building the density of our presence across key micro-markets to serve our customers better.''

Nearly half of Indian consumers polled switching to private labels: EY

Indian consumers are re-evaluating their retail choices and nearly half of them are switching to private labels, according to an EY report which highlights heightened consumer expectations of value, trust and relevance from their purchase experiences. According to the latest EY Future Consumer Index (FCI) India edition, the growing preference for private label products is transforming consumer perceptions, positioning store brands as the favoured alternative to traditional branded options. The EY Future Consumer Index tracks changing consumer sentiment and behaviours across time horizons and global markets, identifying the new consumer segments that are emerging. The 15th edition of the EY Future Consumer Index surveyed over 1,000 consumers across India, between January 24, 2025, to February 20, 2025. The report said the growing preference for private label products is transforming consumer perceptions, positioning store brands as the favoured alternative to traditional branded ...

Indian family businesses trust heirs but succession trends are shifting

HSBC report finds 88 per cent of Indian entrepreneurs trust next-gen with wealth, but few heirs feel obligated to join family businesses as legacy meets modernity

Investors find their way back to retail and consumer checkout aisle

Valuations normalise, dealmaking surges and investors return to India's consumer sector, with record Q1 activity driven by aspirational demand and demographic tailwinds

Indian consumers warming up to data-driven mobility solutions: Report

Indian consumers are willing to share personal information with manufacturers or third parties for features such as anti-theft tracking, reflecting rising trust in data-driven solutions, according to the findings of a global study conducted by Deloitte. As per the 2025 Global Automotive Consumer Study, which saw participation of 1,000 people, 88 per cent of the Indian consumers were willing to share personal information with manufacturers or third parties for features such as anti-theft tracking. The percentage is significantly higher than 60 per cent in the US, the survey revealed. This signals a rising trust in data-driven and intelligent mobility solutions, it added. Indian customers are also optimistic about tech, with 82 per cent of the people surveyed viewing AI as beneficial, and they prioritise vehicle-smartphone connectivity, as per the study. In India, 62 per cent of consumers surveyed rank product quality, including safety, as their top priority when choosing their next

Indian consumers spent 15 bn hours for service complaints in 2024: Report

Despite AI agents and chatbots increasingly becoming a part and parcel of customer service, they have yet to significantly reduce customer service wait times, with a report revealing that Indian consumers spent over 15 billion hours last year waiting to lodge customer service complaints. The ServiceNow Customer Experience report analysed the widening gap between rising customer expectations and the reality of service delivery. It surveyed 5,000 Indian consumers and 204 Indian customer service agents. As many as 80 per cent of Indian consumers now rely on AI chatbots for essential services like checking complaint statuses and product recommendations. Yet, these same consumers collectively spend an astounding 15 billion hours on hold each year, according to the report. "While some headway has been made-- the average Indian spent 3.2 hours less time waiting for an issue to be resolved than the previous year--there is still a considerable gap between customer expectations and service ..

Surat rings loud in ultra-premium smartphone surge beyond metros

This Gujarat city accounted for 2.4 per cent share of the ultra-premium smartphones market in Octo­ber 2024

Consumer goods sector faces a muted quarter as urban demand stays sluggish

Despite these challenges, revenues for tracked companies are projected to grow 6 per cent year-on-year, primarily driven by price increases, while volume growth will stay in the low single digits

India's consumption conundrum: How not to talk about it in the year 2025

Conflicting data, fragmented markets, and outdated metrics: Here's why reframing the narrative on India's consumption is essential to address the diverse realities of 2025