The Hindu Business Line : Mumbaikars careful spenders, Delhiites splurge, says Survey

THIS is one difference between the country's Capital and its financial capital that should cause little surprise. According to the latest consumer spending poll conducted by Synovate, a market research agency, Delhiites are willing to spend more on personal grooming, while Mumbaikars are careful spenders, much more austere.

This, despite the fact that what an average Mumbaikar spends on oneself has more than doubled over the last two years whereas an average Delhiite's spending on oneself has increased only by 40.7 per cent during this period.

To a question on whether there was a limit to how much the respondents were willing to spend on themselves in a month, an overwhelming 75.2 per cent Delhi residents said there was none while people holding similar views comprised only 38.5 per cent of the Mumbaikars surveyed.

Delhi's flamboyance also comes across in the products it prefers. While the maximum household budget meant for personal products is used first and foremost for buying clothes by the high-spenders of both cities, Mumbaikars spend 28.6 per cent of their wallet share on food, while Delhiites prefer to reach out for cosmetics right after stuffing their wardrobes. Only then do they consider loosening the purse strings for food items.

Again, while Delhi shoppers go in for deodorants, mobile phones and shoes first rather than jewellery and travelling, Mumbaikars relegate these to the background, preferring to spend on travel and jewellery.

When Synovate tried to find out which items were bought by respondents across the two cities over the last 3-6 months, Delhiites ruled categories, including personal grooming products, branded clothes, mobile phones, high-end televisions, cars and travelling overseas for pleasure. The only categories where Mumbai left the Capital behind were in purchasing jewellery, Indian and international designer labels and in travelling abroad for work.

In keeping with this finding, Mumbaikars outshone Delhiites only while spending money on categories they invested in over the last 3-6 months. While travelling overseas for work, Mumbaikars spent as much as Rs 6.4 lakh whereas only Rs 5.25 lakh was spent by Delhiites; an average Mumbaikar spent Rs 22,178 on jewellery compared with Rs 15,852 spent by a Delhi resident. Mumbai resident spent an average Rs 18,750 in buying high-end TV over this period against Delhi's Rs 12,875.

To a question on which cars respondents intend to go in for, Delhiites were unambiguous in their choice of the Santro brand name (30.8 per cent respondents) whereas Mumbaikars voted overwhelmingly for the bread-and-butter Maruti 800. But in the overall ranking, the Santro and the Maruti 800 won equal weightage of 25 per cent each, followed by the Honda, the Esteem and Hyundai.

The poll was conducted to capture spending among high-end consumers residing in affluent pockets of the two metros. The target group comprised respondents aged between 25 and 35 years belonging to SEC A plus socio-economic class. Of the total 205 respondents interviewed, men outnumbered women in Delhi.

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