Erica Southern

Intro

Retail is a huge sector of India, contributing 35% of India’s GDP. (Rao,

2006) As much as the Indian economy, legal system and politics affect the

retail and fashion in India, other important factors such as religion, culture,

national pride and tradition heavily affect them also. Other factors come into

play such as different climates of the country, and also different cities when

determining India’s buying habits.

Religion

While over half of the population in India is Hindu, Muslim is India’s

second most popular religion. The Muslim religion makes up 13.4% of the

populations religion, while Hindu makes up 80.5%. (Halepete, 2011) This

affects the way Indians, especially the female population, dress and

purchase clothing. The Muslim religion is very strict and conservative for

women when it comes to fashion. Modesty is the main objective and women

are required to wear a head covering called a burqa, that covers their hair.

As the burqa has been seen as a burden in the past, recently they have been

turned into more of a fashion statement. “For their part, Indian women are

experimenting with its form and are fashioning office and party wear that are

chic and sophisticated. Some burqas even come studded with Swarovski

crystals and other precious gems that have matching accessories – from

footwear to brooches and bags – to go with them.” (Rathore, Vijaya, & Sobia

Khan, 2013)

As for Hindu’s and Christians (who make up only 2.3% of the

population) they share different traditions when it comes to clothing.

(Halepete, 2011) For Hindu Indians, their clothes are generally very colorful,

which matches the Indians traditionally clothing which is also brightly

colored. Red generally means sensuality and purity and is mainly worn to

celebrate the birth of a child, or marriages and festivals. Saffron is

considered a sacred color and represents purity and religious abstinence.

Green represents happiness and nature. Widows typically do not wear this

color because of this. You would most likely see them wearing white which

represents mourning. The differences between religious cultures is very

heavy between this color because if you look at the Christian people, you

may see them more likely wearing white to a wedding instead of mourning.

(Color)

Culture

Although English is a common language in India, the country is still

very diverse in terms of culture, weather, language and shopping habits

which makes it hard to establish a set selling technique for all India. As India

is divided into different tiers of cities, this makes it a little easier to

distinguish the background of different citizens who live in these cities. Many

tier 1 families are modern; nuclear families, while tier II and tier III families

have more family members living with them. The different types of families

have a big impact on shopping habits of the families. People living in tier I

cities get to travel internationally more and therefore are more

knowledgeable about brands. The same goes for men who travel abroad for

work. They tend to purchase their items abroad rather than in India, as

opposed to most Indian women who are not really keen about brands.

(Halepete, 2011)

Most of the shopping occurs during December and May, which is

considered the wedding season, and also the festive season which is during

October and November. (Sheth & Vittal, 2009) Indians shop with friends and

family and make it a social event. Women like to shop in boutiques because

they like the exclusivity of it. They are not shy about wanting attention when

shopping because they like to feel important. This is especially true about

Tier II and Tier II towns. (Halepete, 2011)

Although it is generally known that Tier I cities are the go to market

with shoppers, they are not the only ones who are buying luxury items. “At a

current value of $2.45 billion, the Indian luxury market is poised to double its

value to $5.8 billion in the next five years, says the latest Confederation of

Indian Industry-AT Kearney Report on Indian Luxury. The growth, much like

India's larger story, will be propelled by smaller, scattered markets, the new

pockets of wealth in Tier II cities. "In the next 5-7 years, at least seven new

towns will get added to the luxury map of India" is the projection.” (Saxon,

2011)

National Pride

There is a traditional “Indian look” that is heavily manufactured and

very popular among Indians young and old. The look is achieved from a

mixture of embroidery, bright colors, tunic style tops and sequins. This

traditional ethnic-wear look makes up the biggest percentage, (47%) of the

Indian woman’s wear market. (Halepete, 2011) Many older women wear the

traditional look everywhere while the majority of the younger generation

wears westernized clothing, (jeans, t-shirts, etc.) everywhere but traditional

and family related events. (Batra & Niehm, 2009) As mentioned before about

the different tiers, most people who live in tier I cities wear more western

clothing rather than the traditional clothing. People living in tier II and III

cities tend to dress more in the traditional clothing. (Halepete, 2011)

Tradition

Indians are sensitive to price. They want to feel like they are getting a

deal and want a bargain. They steer clear of big stores which they think are

expensive and they shop around and compare prices before making

purchases. This is probably due to Indians from previous generations having

always been big savers of their money. Although, the majority of the Indian

population follows the idea of saving, this is changing among the younger

population. Many younger urban people are single and have their own

disposable income. They want to spend money on themselves- women

particularly. There is a huge boom of women who are working and don’t have

families they have to care for. This is a big traditional change from the

woman who used to be a wife and mother at home. (Halepete, 2011)

Works Cited

Batra, M. & Niehm. L.S. (2009). An opportunity analysis framework for

apparel retailing in India. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal Online.

http://ctr.sagepub/com/cgi/rapidpdf/0887302X083273601.pdf.13 Oct. 2013

Color Symbolism in Hinduism.

http://www.wou.edu/provost/library/exhibits/exhibits2004-05/color/Images/

hinduism.pdf. 13 Oct 2013.

Halepete, J. (2011). Retailing in emerging markets. New York: Fairchild

Books.

Rao, K. (2006, June 1). “Retail: India- a window opens”, Foreign Direct

Investment, pp. 1.

Rathore, Vijaya, & Sobia Khan. "Burqa reinvents itself, makes a global

fashion statement." India Times [Dubai] 5 July 2013:

pag.economictimes.indiatimes.com. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.

Saxon, Aditi. "Small is Bountiful Future of the luxury market rests upon

Tier II cities.” India Today 15 Oct. 2011: http://indiatoday.in. Web. 13 Oct.

2013.

Saxon, Aditi. "Small is Bountiful Future of the luxury market rests upon

Tier II cities.” India Today Oct. 2007: http://indiatoday.in. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.