Only 4% of jewellery buyers say advertising influences their choice: Deloitte
Among Gen Z consumers, however, reliance on word-of-mouth is significantly lower. Social media platforms and search engines play a far larger role in brand discovery,
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Indian consumers continue to prefer buying jewellery in physical stores, even as younger shoppers increasingly rely on digital platforms to discover brands, according to a consumer survey by Deloitte of more than 600 respondents across age groups and city tiers.
The survey found that jewellery purchasing remains decisively store-first, with national retail chains, family jewellers and local retailers far ahead of pure online channels. As many as 94 per cent of respondents said they prefer buying from national retail chains, followed by family jewellers at 88 per cent and local retailers at 86 per cent. Only 26 per cent cited brand websites as a preferred purchase channel.
The dominance of offline buying reflects the centrality of trust, inspection and relationship-led selling in a category that straddles consumption and investment. Online purchases, the survey found, are largely confined to lower ticket sizes, with more than 80 per cent of transactions below ₹50,000 and high-value purchases above ₹1 lakh remaining rare.
Marketing influence is fragmenting by age cohort. Word-of-mouth remains the strongest driver of jewellery discovery overall, accounting for 30 per cent of responses, followed by visits to jewellery-focused markets at 21 per cent. Social media advertising ranked third at 19 per cent, while television advertising influenced 11 per cent of buyers.
Among Gen Z consumers, however, reliance on word-of-mouth is significantly lower. Social media platforms and search engines play a far larger role in brand discovery, pointing to the need for dual acquisition strategies: digital-first engagement for younger buyers and relationship-driven marketing for older cohorts.
Gold remains the dominant material across demographics, but younger consumers are showing a greater openness to alternatives. The survey found that 51 per cent of Gen Z respondents expressed interest in silver and 34 per cent in platinum, compared with just 26 per cent of consumers aged 45 and above. Natural diamonds continue to be preferred overall, at 44 per cent, versus 8 per cent for lab-grown diamonds, though lab-grown diamond-studded jewellery has emerged as the most popular gifting option.
Rising gold prices are altering buying behaviour without undermining gold’s appeal. The most common response to higher prices was to reduce weight while maintaining purity, cited by 33 per cent of respondents. Others reported increasing budgets, exchanging old gold or shifting to lower karat options.
Jewellery continues to serve a dual function as both adornment and asset. More than half of respondents said they view jewellery as both an investment and a fashion accessory, while 28 per cent buy it primarily as an investment. Gold and jewellery ranked among the top wealth-creation preferences, chosen by 86 per cent of respondents, nearly matching market-linked products such as mutual funds and equities.
Trust remains the most decisive factor in purchase decisions. Brand heritage, craftsmanship and values influenced 87 per cent of respondents, followed by long-standing family or social relationships with jewellers at 79 per cent. In-store experience and personalised service mattered to 67 per cent, while only 4 per cent said advertising directly influenced their choice.
