Delhi, 19 March 2026: Research-driven buying, instant-delivery expectations, and selective premiumisation across income levels are amongst the six behavioural shifts that are redefining the Indian consumer, highlights latest report by Alvarez & Marsal in partnership Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). The report titled "The New Consumer Imperative: Rewiring Commercial Models for Growth” draws on a proprietary survey of 2,019 respondents across 54 cities, supplemented by government data, platform disclosures and industry research, and identifies six behavioural shifts that are redefining the Indian consumer.

The study finds that 83% of Indian shoppers rely on reviews before making a purchase, while 77% expect delivery within two hours, highlighting how proof and speed are reshaping purchase decisions. Consumer journeys are also increasingly fluid, with 73% exploring multiple channels and 64% completing purchases across two or more channels to fulfil a single need. At the same time, 98% of consumers are more likely to buy when engagement is personalised in real time, yet 88% say they would abandon a brand if interactions feel intrusive, underscoring the delicate balance between relevance and trust. Together, these shifts signal that the Indian consumer is now defined less by demographics and more by how they choose and move across channels.

In response, the report argues that traditional commercial models built around fixed categories, linear journeys, and stable demographics must be rewired. It recommends that organisations design product portfolios around consumer outcomes rather than categories, prioritise proof-driven marketing and creator influence, strengthen their omnichannel presence where consumers evaluate choices, and build operating models capable of sensing and responding to consumer behaviour at greater speed.

Bharat Garg, Managing Director - Consumer, Consumer Tech and Retail Practice, Alvarez & Marsal India, added, “Indian consumers today validate purchases far more actively, with 83% relying on reviews before buying and 73% exploring multiple channels during the purchase journey. This shift means traditional brand-led marketing alone is no longer enough. Companies must build credibility wherever consumers evaluate choices - through authentic reviews, creator influence and strong presence across digital platforms. Brands must now compete where consumers evaluate, not just where they transact.”

Mani Singhal, Managing Director & Co-Lead, Consumer, Consumer Tech and Retail Practice, Alvarez & Marsal India, said, “India’s consumer market is entering a new phase of growth as rising incomes, digital access and evolving expectations reshape how people discover and choose brands. While this is known, the commercial models to serve the new consumer need a re-think. It’s almost like the consumer is faster and the business is on a treadmill to catch up. Companies that align their strategies with the behaviour of the new Indian consumer will be best positioned to capture the next phase of consumption growth.”

Ms Pushpa Bector, Chairperson, CII MarketEdge 2026 and Senior Executive Director and Retail Head, DLF, highlighted, “As India moves toward 2030, strong and credible brands will play a vital role in simulating domestic demand, expanding exports, attracting investment, and positioning India as a distinctive economic force in the global marketplace. The question before us is not how to capture the domestic market but how can India build brands that are globally respected and competitive.”

Six behavioural shifts defining the new Indian consumer

• The Generation-Agnostic Consumer
  
  Traditional age-based assumptions about consumption are weakening as digital access brings multiple generations into the same commerce ecosystems. India’s silver economy is estimated at ₹73,000 crore, while younger consumers are entering financial markets earlier than before, with 48% of retail mutual fund investors aged between 18 and 30. Increasingly, consumer intent and lifestyle preferences are becoming stronger predictors of purchasing behaviour than age alone.
  As a result, different age groups are increasingly using the same digital platforms, exploring similar product categories and participating in the same consumption trends. Consumer intent and lifestyle are therefore becoming stronger predictors of purchasing behaviour than age alone.
   
• The Proof-Seeking Consumer
  
  Consumers increasingly validate purchases through reviews, creators and independent sources rather than relying solely on brand messaging. The study finds 83% of Indian shoppers rely on reviews before purchasing, while 67% of consumers in metro cities trust independent creators more than celebrities. Shopping-related video watch time has also grown 250% year-on-year, reflecting a consumer who actively researches and compares options before committing to a purchase.
   
• The Zero-Latency Consumer
  
  Expectations around speed and convenience have been reset as digital commerce expands rapidly across categories. With 41% of Indian consumers shopping online two to three times a week, faster purchase cycles are becoming the norm.
  India’s quick commerce market reached ₹65,700 crore in GMV in FY25, growing nearly 24 times since 2022. Today 77% of consumers expect deliveries within two hours, while 97% evaluate purchases within an hour, compared with 80% before the pandemic.
   
• The Selectively Premium Consumer
  
  Premium consumption is no longer a simple function of income. Consumers increasingly upgrade in specific categories while optimising spending elsewhere. The study finds 75% of consumers across income groups between ₹3.1 lakh and ₹50 lakh trade up within categories depending on cost and convenience. Premiumisation is therefore becoming a deliberate category-level decision rather than a uniform shift.
   
• The Channel- and Brand-Fluid Consumer Consumers increasingly move between brands and platforms during a single purchase journey. The report finds 73% of Indian consumers explore multiple channels while shopping, reflecting a purchase journey that often spans social media, marketplaces and physical retail. This increased comparison is also reshaping brand loyalty, with 56% of consumers purchasing private-label products, indicating that many shoppers are open to switching brands if value or convenience is better. As a result, each purchase increasingly becomes a fresh evaluation rather than a habitual brand decision.
   

• The Privacy–Personalisation Paradox
  
  Consumers expect tailored experiences but remain highly sensitive to intrusive data usage. According to the study, 98% of consumers are more likely to buy when engagement is personalised in real time, yet 88% say they would abandon a brand if the interaction feels intrusive, highlighting the balance brands must strike between relevance and trust.

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Two structural trends reshaping consumption

Beyond behavioural shifts, the report highlights two structural dynamics that are reshaping how purchase journeys take place.

• Channel Fluidity

Different channels are increasingly playing distinct roles within the same purchase journey. The survey finds 64% of consumers use two or more channels before making a purchase worth ₹500 or more, often discovering products on social media, evaluating them on marketplaces and completing transactions through quick commerce or physical retail. Even among consumers above 50 years of age, about 60% follow a similar multi-channel journey, indicating that where a consumer shops no longer reliably signals how they will ultimately purchase.

• Basket Fluidity

Shopping baskets are increasingly assembled around consumer outcomes rather than traditional product categories. Approximately 30% of shopping missions now involve combined intent, where planned and impulse purchases occur in the same session. In many cases, consumers assemble baskets from different categories to fulfil a single need.
The report notes that 62% of consumers prioritise the outcome they want to achieve before thinking about the product category, while 70% say they have purchased from an entirely different category than the one they initially considered to fulfil a specific need.

Implications for businesses

According to the report, these shifts highlight a widening gap between how consumers behave today and how many organisations are structured to serve them.

As consumer journeys become faster, more fluid and more outcome-driven, businesses will need to rethink how they engage with customers across product, marketing, and distribution. Products must increasingly be designed around the consumer outcome rather than traditional category boundaries, while marketing strategies need to prioritise credibility, reviews and real-time engagement during the moments when consumers evaluate choices. At the same time, presence across the right channels is becoming critical. As channel fluidity increases, brands will need to build strong omnichannel strategies, ensure visibility across digital platforms and marketplaces, and treat quick commerce not just as a delivery channel but as an important point of discovery and decision-making.

Read our detailed report

About Alvarez & Marsal

Founded in 1983, Alvarez & Marsal is a leading global professional services firm. Renowned for its leadership, action, and results, Alvarez & Marsal provides advisory, business performance improvement, and turnaround management services, delivering practical solutions to address clients' unique challenges. With a worldwide network of experienced operators, world-class consultants, former regulators, and industry authorities, Alvarez & Marsal helps corporates, boards, private equity firms, law firms, and government agencies drive transformation, mitigate risk, and unlock value at every stage of growth.

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