If you’ve heard of normcore, chances are you’ve heard of the yummies too. But, if you’re one, you certainly aren’t the other. While normcore is all about disregarding — with vehemence — anything and everything that is luxury and looking regularly unkempt, yummies are a social subset of young men who like to indulge themselves.
Yummies, standing for young urban males, are men in their 20s with six-figure salaries or more, living in cities with a penchant for luxury goods, a well-groomed personal appearance and a habit of spending on themselves. Giving luxury living a much-needed boost, these men are the newest, biggest consumer group for premium brands.
Coming as a surprise to many, HSBC bank first coined the term in its research report, ‘Rise of the Yummy’, earlier this year. While the acronym YUM would have simply sufficed, the report chose to call the consumer group Yummy, making the term metro-sexual seem rather manly in comparison. According to the report, “Metro-sexual was a term coined exactly 20 years ago to describe men who are interested in their appearance, and spend much time, effort and money on shopping. In the beginning, though, this did not translate into strong growth in purchases of luxury goods by men as ‘metro-sexuals’ were not mainstream.”
So, are the Yummies then set to be mainstream? The report says, “Although it may sound quite counter-intuitive, luxury goods consumers are in fact relatively young. This is driven by psychological and social trends whereby consumers prefer to display social status earlier on. . In addition, with increasing wealth creation and affordability of travel, as well as online blogs and forums, information on brands is more readily accessible to target audiences than ever before.”
Yummies not only have an obsession with personal grooming and health, but also marry late. Not laden with responsibilities these men have a large amount of disposable income that they can readily spend on themselves. “There is new wealth creation in this group, even in India, and there is a great difference in the consumer choices of this group between then and now,” says Sumit Dhingra, director of business for brands Gant and Nautica. Dhingra says that most premium and luxury brands in the country are beginning to target the male consumer group between 25 and 35. “Their consumerism is associated more with reward and not guilt. There is an optimism that this lifestyle can be sustained.”
A heightened brand awareness, an appreciation for the arts and a love for holidaying, Yummies are breaking the male rulebook. “We understand that Yummies like to experiment with their clothes and looks. Our latest Spring/Summer collection focuses on an interplay of vibrant colours and we also introduced hats and caps as there has been a renewed interest in this segment,” says Joseph Muthaiyan, CEO, Blumerq, a premium men’s clothing brand.
Yummies also like to accessorise. So, a Burberry trench, a Fendi hat, an LV Belt, and a Hugo Boss briefcase are common occurrences on a Yummy.
Accessories are often a starting point or a great initiation to a brand. Many luxury brands are expanding their menswear sections to lure male shoppers. Perfumes, cosmetics, shoes, outdoor sports wear and fashion accessories for men have received a significant boost since the arrival of the Yummy.
