Today's Indian Women Consumer

Straddling Samajhdari and style: Today’s Indian women consumers

To paraphrase David Ogilvy, the moron isn’t the consumer. It’s her husband, usually. At least, when you stop and think about today’s Indian consumer landscape, that’s what you’d see. While men are counted in the Census and other studies of note as Heads of Households, the truth is that households would be like headless chicken without the women being in charge. The man surely wins the bread and brings it home. It’s the woman who decides how to slice it, how to toast it, what jam and butter to spread on it, and just how and how much to serve, and when.

But this facet of the Indian woman consumer only reflects her “dutiful” side. And the fact of the matter is that she is, in equal parts, Lalitaji and Lolita. Samajhdari she has in spades, alright. Add to that a suave and discerning eye for style. And you easily realize that as hard as Lalitaji is to fool, Lolita is that much harder to please.

And that’s the evolutionary truth that marketers have to grasp very quickly. Where Lalitaji is all about respecting traditions and discharging duty, Lolita isn’t afraid to indulge her individual self, without cost or damage to others around her. And in doing so, she’s fine-tuning her balancing act into an art that few of her contemporaries around the world can match.

Lolita takes the traditional and contemporizes it. Lalitaji takes the new into the pallu of her sari easily. And she’s able to do this because of a few unique things about her generation. She’s the first to grow up without the baggage of the Raj era. She’s grown up grooming the internet generation, and has seen all the advances first hand along the way. And she’s grown up without bottling up her own aspirations.

Most importantly, whether she’s elite class in South Delhi or by-and-large mass class in Bhatinda, there’s a mindset that unifies them all. Call her the Affluential Indian woman. She will not settle for anything less than the best that her money and time can get her. And she populate her home and her life with not just one or two but multiple things along the spectrum from traditional to contemporary. After all, she plays out multiple roles daily. Why shouldn’t her choices reflect all these roles?

From classy Kanjeevarams and Benarasi silks and the ubiquitous salwar kameez to the casually chic jeans and t-shirt, her wardrobe straddles her myriad moods and roles.

From hair oils to conditioners, from henna to streaks, from chandan and haldi to moisturizers, she grooms and preens as the occasion demands.

From whipping up dosa batter to serving up steaming pancakes with maple syrup on the side; from navratan korma to fettucini alfredo; kitchen shelves where sambar powder and garam masala rub shoulders with oregano and vinegar; from crafting exotic dishes at home to being at home in new restaurants around town. Nowhere is reverse-McDonaldization more visible than the effect that Lalitaji / Lolita have on what we eat. There’s a reason why Haldiram is as popular as Pizza Hut. It’s the same reason global food giant Frito-Lay (a PepsiCo company) proudly proclaims rajma, dal and chawal as its ingredients, alongside flavors like sour cream, jalapenos and French onion.

From upholding traditions such as Karwa Chauth and Diwali to celebrating new ones like Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day, she has embraced diverse ways to indulge herself and the ones she loves.

And as much as non-urban women are taking to “Western” products like shampoos and fairness creams, urban women are discovering the joys of going back to the basics with organics.

The truth in all of this clearly underlines what was said at the beginning of this piece. The Indian woman consumer isn’t a moron. If anything, she’s an oxymoron. And one who is completely at peace with the many paradoxes that are her life. Lalitaji and Lolita both reside in the same person. Happily.