Mumbai: India’s smaller urban centres and rural regions are driving the growth of the $130-billion lifestyle market , about 80% of which is led by the fashion segment that includes apparel, footwear and accessories. Urban regions beyond the top 50 cities and rural collectively account for about 67% or two-thirds of lifestyle consumption in the country, which is home to a large cohort of young Gen Z shoppers, according to a joint report by Bain and Myntra. Online platforms have played their fair share in democratising access for consumers — about 50% of more than 175 million e-shoppers come from households with an annual income of less than Rs 10 lakh.
Two in three of them come from beyond the top 50 cities. “Online shopping is filling up the access gap. Consumers sitting in beyond the top 50 cities have the same exposure to brands and trends as their metro and tier one counterparts.
As consumers become more comfortable, they are buying products across multiple categories and for different occasions. About 40% of our sales from international brands come from tier two plus cities,” Myntra CEO Nandita Sinha told TOI. The lifestyle market is expected to touch $210 billion by 2028 from about $130 billion currently.
The online lifestyle segment, which is pegged at $16-17 billion, is estimated to grow to $40-45 billion by 2028 as the market is still underpenetrated at 13% (of the total market), leaving enough room for growth. “Because of the low penetration base that we ha.