Delhi loosens purse-strings

To market, to market to buy jewellery and watches, if you are a woman in Delhi; and a mobile phone if you are a man about town. A recent study on the spending habits of Indians reveals that the Delhiite is likely to loosen his purse-strings for sunglasses, perfumes and digital diaries, not to mention cellphones which, though low on the priority list last year, have moved to the position of No 1 buy. "Roughly 20 per cent Delhiites own cellphones and this trend is driven by the decreasing prices of mobile sets and air-time and the increasing need for convenience and mobility," says Hemrendra Mathur, senior analyst, KSA Technopak, which conducted the study. While Delhi's tendency to spend on shopping has gone up by 14 per cent over the last one year, figures reveal that around 75 per cent of consumers in the city have bought some accessory or the other in 2002 (as against 60 per cent in 2001), thus reflecting the growing trend of accesorisation. Another interesting category is constituted by gifts, with 45 per cent of all consumers having bought a gift in the past one month. Side by side, the average value of gifts has risen from last year's range of Rs 250-500 to Rs 500-1000 this year, implying more opportunities for the gift market. "This trend is driven by there being more and more occasions for presenting a gift. The highest spenders in this category are constituted by the youth," says Mathur. In survey-speak, the factors which are tops on the Indian buyer's mind while going to the market are easy accessibility, wide range of products and choice of brands. Interestingly, the Indian consumer, as per the study, is still not brand-conscious. "This is evident from the fact that in a purchase decision for apparel, the brand comes lower than the product, colour and style," says market analyst Subroto Ghosh. Incidentally, a city-wise comparison indicates that while Mumbaikars spend Rs 150 per month on movies, the figure is 130 for Delhiites. The gap, however, has reduced as compared to last year with more and more multiplexes coming up in Delhi. At another level, the Mumbaikar also spends more on eating out (Rs 420 per month) than his Delhi counterpart (Rs 280). Again, this gap is being bridged with more eating options/pubs opening in Delhi. Incidentally, around 85-90 per cent of consumers in Delhi say that they enjoy shopping and define it as a fun-filled activity. "While women are the driving force in spending for categories such as apparel, clothing, accessories and personal care, Gen X drives spending in the categories of entertainment, gifting, books and music," informs Mathur. Coming to unmet needs, 50 per cent of consumers, according to the survey, are dissatisfied with products and 43 per cent find products without the features they were looking for. This is critical information for the biz world as the non-availability of even one feature can result in non-purchase. "Such information helps retailers take strategic decisions based on market realities and not just intuition," adds Ghosh. All in all, the average Delhi consumer is increasingly making time for shopping. "This is indicated by his willingness to spend more time on shopping over the past two years," says marketing guru Ratan Khurana. Well, Delhi seems to be in the mood to talk shop all right. And it's the kind of talk marketing men are interested in.