Bengaluru surges ahead in premium spending as young tech households reshape consumption

Bengaluru leads the country in premium spending, beating legacy metros like Mumbai and Delhi, suggesting the prominence of a tech-expansion-fueled income class trading up their purchases.

According to India's Premium Buyers Report released by Xpert, an advertising research firm. Based on invoice analyses of over 17 million buyers across 19,000 pin codes, Bengaluru beats Mumbai by a small gap in premium spending share, with Delhi, Pune, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai and Ahmedabad following behind.

A recent report by Kantar, as reported in The Hindu Businessline, saw Bengaluru emerge as the most premium metro in the city, with average city-level spending per kg of FMCG product pegged at Rs 211.

The top five premium pincodes included Richmond Town in central Bengaluru, followed by HSR Layout, Marathahalli, Bellandur and Bannerghatta Road. The premium-inclined pincodes heavily featured the city's tech corridors, home to thousands of professionals working in MNCs and the city's vibrant startup ecosystem.

The Marathahalli - Bellandur stretch is home to some of the biggest e-commerce and tech companies, both global and Indian, including Microsoft, Walmart, Flipkart, Adobe and Wipro. While the HSR Layout has gained prominence as a budding startup niche with countless cafes featuring young founders as well as startups like ElasticRun, Rapido. Newme and Cure.fit.

The data suggests that premium spending is being led by a different group, being driven not by traditional wealthy enclaves but by new-age tech corridors and high-density gated communities.

The top pincodes list features a concentration of modern housing societies, namely Prestige Ferns, Embassy Pristine, Century Park, Oberoi-type clusters, etc, hinting that gated communities are exactly where the premium buying sits.

A deeper analysis by Kantar of 157 micro clusters across the top nine metros also revealed that South-West Bengaluru is the most premium FMCG cluster, featuring RR Nagar, Mysore Road and Kengeri.

Households are spending more on convenience, safety design, and personal expression. About 90% of premium F&B buyers are driven by healthier choices as they look to improve sleep and digestion. Managing stress, personal expression, as well as self-concept is driving health and beauty purchases, a sector that is a hotbed of new-age D2C brands.

The changing consumption pattern is crucial for brands looking to get the biggest bang for every advertisement penny spent. A younger crowd is also more experimental and receptive, suggesting Startup's propensity for launching pilots with them. For instance, Snabbit, a Mumbai-based quick help platform, started with its Bengaluru pilots in the Bellandur-Sarjapur area, before expanding to other pincodes. While 10-minute quick food delivery startup Swish started from HSR, trying to catch hold of young, convenience-oriented professionals.