Young men and women in Delhi are spending more on cosmetics, apparel and mobile phones than their counterparts in other metropolitan cities, a comprehensive survey conducted by industry body Assocham and released on the eve of World Youth Day on August 12 has revealed.
As per the survey, which sampled 2,000 youngsters in the 16-21 year age group, about 75 per cent of India’s youth spend over Rs.6,000 per month on cosmetics, apparel and mobiles. And much of it is due to a rise in pocket money, growing awareness and intense publicity campaigns.
The survey had sampled the buying trend among the youth in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Chandigarh. It revealed that over 75 per cent youth said their consumption of branded cosmetics has gone up by about 65 per cent in the past 10 years. Over 58 per cent of youth said their expenses on cosmetics have risen by 65 per cent and this figure was even higher at 68 per cent among the upper middle age group.
“The youth in Delhi are ahead of their counterparts in other cities as 75 per cent of them said their budget for shopping for cosmetic, apparel and phones has exceeded Rs.6,000 every month. About 25 per cent said they splurge between Rs.2,500 and Rs.3,500 on cosmetics, clothes and phones every month,” it added.
In terms of rise in expenditure in the past decade, the survey revealed that there has been a 300 per cent jump from less than Rs.1,500 per month in 2003 to over Rs.6,000 per month now.
Assocham secretary general D. S. Rawat said a major reason for the increased spending on cosmetics now was the increased participation of women in employment basket. Secondly, he said, massive advertising in both electronic and print media has influenced the customers and increased their allocation of monthly expenses towards theses articles.
The survey also came out with interesting revelation about how males have developed a special craze for cosmetic application compared with their female’s counterparts and their monthly expenses have risen between 35 and 40 per cent during the past decade.
Stating that on an average, about 25 per cent of the pocket money is being spent by the youth on food, the survey said: “The youth does not think twice before blowing money on mobile phones, clothes, eating out and even cosmetics.”
On the buying preferences, it revealed that 85 per cent of men frequently changed their mobile handsets or kept two handsets and thus their expenditure on mobile phones was much higher.
As for the women, it said 85 per cent of them bought cosmetics and apparels from multiple shops rather than a single one. Quality is given utmost preference by the women consumers.
The gender analysis also revealed that girls spend the most on clothes, cosmetics and toiletries compared with boys who spend a lot on computer games and equipment. Gadgets (including mobile phone), recreation and holidays, hobby classes, fitness activities, parties, beauty treatment are taken care of by the parents, found the survey.
“Rising beauty consciousness due to changing demographics and lifestyles, deeper consumer pockets, rising media exposure, greater product choice, growth in retail segment and wider availability are the reasons for sharp rise in demand of cosmetics, apparel and mobile telephones in Indian consumers,” said Mr. Rawat.
