Lifestyle Brands Walk The Premium Tightrope

As India’s affluent consumer spends more on design-led products, premium lifestyle brands are looking to turn one-time buyers into customers across categories and occasions

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Imagine a customer walking into a premium lifestyle store to buy a vase, but leaving with a dinner set, tableware, candles, and a few other pieces of décor for their living room. A few months later, the same customer is back, looking for a housewarming gift for family and friends.

This is the loyalty that brands yearn for. Give more reasons for the customers to return and get a larger share of their wallet as well as their mind space. It’s never about one vase. 

This is exactly where the next leg of growth lies for the premium and mass-premium lifestyle market – not by abandoning what they are known for, but by finding more ways to bring the same customer back into their world. While some are simply moving from kitchenware into décor and gifting or from clothing into home and occasionwear, others are seeing an opportunity in new channels to reach those customers.

The catch, however, is that every new avenue, be it physical retail, marketplaces, or quick commerce, comes with its own set of challenges. And there’s no channel that can be sacrificed. 

More stores mean more fixed costs 

More categories mean more inventory and operational complexity 

Wider distribution can bring reach but reduce control over the brand experience 

More discounting can move volume while making it harder to justify the premium tag

The question, then, is not whether these brands can find new avenues for growth, but which of them can deliver growth without stretching their economics or diluting the brand.

The Bar For Premium Is Rising

From mass-premium homeware to more........

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