Digital commerce deepens FMCG premiumisation

An analysis of 3,500 affluent and premium-oriented households, or “premium boosters”, across metros and mini metros during October 2025-May 2026 shows these consumers are going beyond simply trading up to expensive products. They are increasing the depth of consumption across FMCG categories.

Premium boosters bought products across around 32 FMCG categories, compared with 30 for SEC A1 households, considered the higher-end traditional consumer cohort.

“They (premium boosters) are not merely affluent. Their growth is driven by depth, not just by reach,” said K. Ramakrishnan, managing director, South Asia, Worldpanel by Numerator.

The findings are significant for FMCG companies because premiumisation is increasingly being pursued as a second growth engine alongside consumer penetration. “Everybody wants to premiumise,” Ramakrishnan said, adding that companies are looking to “get more money for the same volume”.

Self-care leads premium consumption

The sharpest premiumisation is visible in personal care, where consumers are moving towards regimen-led products rather than basic products alone.

Premium boosters’ investment in hairdressing products is around 5x, while face scrubs are around 3x the comparison group, with sun care also showing significantly higher engagement.

“They’re deeply investing, not just by adding more products, but they’re deeply investing in self-care,” Ramakrishnan said. “Their investments in regimen products are always in multiples.”

The premium food basket is also changing, with health, modernity and convenience emerging as key themes. Green tea, muesli, olive oil, milk-based ready-to-drink products and cheese are among categories seeing multiple levels of engagement.

In home care, the shift is moving beyond basic washing and cleaning towards convenience and better living. Premium boosters’ engagement in air fresheners is around 2x, while vegetable and fruit cleaners and surface disinfectants are nearly 16x and 17x, respectively.

“There’s more orientation towards better living, better lifestyle,” Ramakrishnan said.

Bigger packs, more packs

Premiumisation is also changing purchasing behaviour. Consumers are using a combination of larger packs and higher pack multiplicity to increase consumption.

In shampoo, bigger packs are more prominent, while in bar soaps, consumers tend to buy more packs. Tea sees a combination of both. Bottled soft drinks show greater multi-pack buying, while salty snacks see greater preference for larger packs.

“They are doing a combination of both of these,” Ramakrishnan said.

The pattern extends to discretionary categories such as body wash and face wash, where premium consumers show deeper engagement through multi-pack purchases. Larger-pack penetration is also significantly higher among premium boosters, indicating greater commitment to products rather than one-off trial.

Digital and premiumisation converge

The channel data provides the strongest link between digital commerce and premiumisation. Premium boosters over-index on quick commerce, e-commerce and modern trade, while being relatively less dependent on general trade.

For example, if SEC A1 households derive about 10% of their bar-soap spending from quick commerce, the corresponding share for premium boosters is around 13.5%, an index of 135. Similar over-indexing is visible across categories including liquid shampoo and washing powder.

“The more people get into digital, their premiumisation is increasing,” Ramakrishnan said.

Digital platforms offer wider assortments and make discovery, trial and replenishment easier, encouraging consumers to expand their repertoire and basket sizes.

For FMCG companies, the implication is clear: premiumisation is no longer just about launching higher-priced variants. The bigger opportunity lies in getting existing consumers to buy more categories, consume more deeply and trade up through larger or multiple packs.