Luxe redux, it's a pleasure: Luxury retail in India is moving away from 'dictatorial' exclusivity to 'collaborative' empathy

India's luxury market will surpass $12 bn by 2028. Its active luxury consumer base is estimated at 20 mn, with millennials and Gen Z accounting for almost half. India's broader affluent population is poised to approach 100 mn. Diwali is, indeed, waiting with bated breath.

Notably, only 43% of luxury consumers live in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata and Ahmedabad. Over 50% of revenues at Tata CLiQ Luxury and AJIO Luxe reportedly originate from non-metro PIN codes. More than 70% of luxury purchase research is conducted on smartphones before a transaction decision.

Luxury buying in India was once driven by reverence for established hierarchies of wealth and power. Even after Independence, royalty retained its allure, with the likes of Gayatri Devi embodying aristocratic elegance. But the new-gen luxury seeker is pragmatic, shedding the romanticism surrounding legacy wealth. Global selling codes, led by 'dictatorial' exclusivity, are giving way to 'collaborative' empathy.


Collaborative luxury is taking centre stage. Today's buyers scrutinise products, compare options, and ask how a purchase fits into their lives. Vague images of glamour and exclusivity carry less weight. What works for David Beckham and Posh Spice may no longer work for us.

Today's luxury consumers want to enjoy the good life on their own terms. Five-star hotels and airports showcase this shift. Dress codes and restaurant etiquette are losing their hold, even in expensive properties. The old playbook of profiling customers is fading. In premium airport lounges, the Olympian chase for a paneer parantha trumps other markers of chic.

Yet, too many luxury brands still invest in old-world solicitation, such as destination shopping centres. Fortnum & Mason operates at Jio World Drive in Mumbai's BKC. Brands may be better served by curating pop-up experiences, both offline and online. Not just Kurla, but all of Kerala can shop, thanks to deep logistics networks.

India's luxury jewellery market generated over ₹50,000 cr in revenue in 2025. Here, too, customer expectations are shifting. Emotional connections, styling and thoughtful personalisation increasingly shape preferences. Flaunting gold is losing its appeal - and gold can always be pledged for a loan.

To attract the new luxury customer through collaboration, businesses must influence 4 key milestones:

Define: A luxury business must establish its socio-functional role in the customer's life, beyond projection. The latest iPhone 18 Pro Max commands a premium for its audiovisual and camera capabilities, which fuel prolific social media use.

Newer Sabyasachi creations shed unnecessary bulk from traditional silhouettes, offering lighter dupattas, dynamic cuts and lightweight jewellery suited to today's more active weddings. Earlier, buyers adapted to their purchases. Now, brands adapt to them.

Discover: This means finding new sources of luxury on one's own terms. Wellness and longevity retreats, chef-driven gastronomy and pilgrimages are replacing the 5-star hotel set piece. Provenance-led storytelling around coffee, millets and chocolates offers fresh ways to connect with luxury, while an Indiana Jones-like spirit of exploration fuels interest in traditional crafts.

Decide: Choices are shaped by comparison and interrogation. Over 57% of Indian luxury consumers engage with brands through social media and digital touchpoints, including Instagram, WhatsApp and influencer recommendations, before purchasing.

Unlike traditional institutional or 'old money' buyers, modern luxury consumers research products, pricing and heritage online before committing. Cohort-based evaluation is the norm. The BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Audi A6 compete at comparable price points, prompting detailed price-benefit comparisons. Emotions still matter, but increasingly across a consideration set rather than for one brand alone.

Delight: This means creating orchestrated word-of-mouth, not merely staging a static demonstration. Once, luxury was an exclusive state, with owners revelling in Greta Garbo-like discretion. Demonstration was acceptable, but few welcomed others making identical purchases.

Now, building like-minded communities is a trait of wealthy Indians. Experiences at the Oberoi Vanyavilas and Amanbagh are lovingly Instagrammed, while the latest Armani handbag features prominently in wedding reels. Influencers such as Masoom Minawala Mehta, Summiyya Patni Shah and Riaan George thrive by making luxury aspirational and accessible to wider audiences.

One more dimension is joining the party - time is emerging as the currency of premiumisation. The longevity industry, spanning wellness, diagnostics, aesthetics and senior living, is set to boom. While gaining time remains a life goal, improving its quality offers a new revenue opportunity, with tech-enabled personalisation playing a key role.

Handcrafted holidays, premium movie experiences, indulgent beauty sessions, clothes and accessories that bring everyday joy, slow food, slower cocktails, and creative pursuits such as painting, writing and making music can all make time more meaningful. The opportunity for collaborative luxury businesses is to help time-poor customers make more room for leisure and pleasure.

As luxury moves from dictatorial to collaborative, customers will remain demanding, but become more understanding - provided brands engage them in meaningful conversations, guided by the four Ds. Time, as ever, promises to be the great leveller.