HUL Says 377 Mn Gen Z Consumers Are Reshaping How India Buys CPG
HUL says India’s 377 million Gen Z consumers are reshaping CPG discovery, pushing brands toward creator-led marketing.
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Hindustan Unilever (HUL) said India’s 377 million Gen Z consumers are emerging as a structural force reshaping how consumer goods are discovered, consumed and purchased, with social media, creators and new consumption occasions increasingly driving brand demand. The company identified Gen Z as one of the key shifts creating what it calls “New India,” speaking at its Capital Markets Day on September 4.
The shift is already visible in categories like hair care, where the market is moving beyond basic shampoo use toward conditioners, masks, styling and treatment products. The number of hair straighteners in Indian homes has risen 1.6 times, a change HUL attributes partly to social media.
The company’s marketing approach is shifting accordingly. HUL currently reaches 30,000 creators in India, with 60 per cent of its spending now on digital and is moving away from single mass-market messaging toward cohort-specific campaigns, with premium brands running close to 500 different messages tailored to thousands of consumer cohorts each month. The company is also building AI-enabled content studios to support this shift.
HUL Managing Director Priya Nair said changing household habits and rising access to basic infrastructure, alongside the Gen Z population, are creating new growth opportunities, citing rising LPG adoption and access to tap water as factors reshaping cleaning-product consumption.
Hindustan Unilever (HUL) said India’s 377 million Gen Z consumers are emerging as a structural force reshaping how consumer goods are discovered, consumed and purchased, with social media, creators and new consumption occasions increasingly driving brand demand. The company identified Gen Z as one of the key shifts creating what it calls “New India,” speaking at its Capital Markets Day on September 4.
The shift is already visible in categories like hair care, where the market is moving beyond basic shampoo use toward conditioners, masks, styling and treatment products. The number of hair straighteners in Indian homes has risen 1.6 times, a change HUL attributes partly to social media.
The company’s marketing approach is shifting accordingly. HUL currently reaches 30,000 creators in India, with 60 per cent of its spending now on digital and is moving away from single mass-market messaging toward cohort-specific campaigns, with premium brands running close to 500 different messages tailored to thousands of consumer cohorts each month. The company is also building AI-enabled content studios to support this shift.
HUL Managing Director Priya Nair said changing household habits and rising access to basic infrastructure, alongside the Gen Z population, are creating new growth opportunities, citing rising LPG adoption and access to tap water as factors reshaping cleaning-product consumption.
