e-commerce
Indhu Radhakrishnan launches Culturati
Mumbai: Pepper Media’s co-founder Indhu Radhakrishnan, has launched Culturati, a curated e-commerce platform dedicated to supporting traditional and indigenous Indian art and crafts. Backed by a team with over two decades of experience in digital media and storytelling, Culturati promises to bring the rich heritage of Indian artisans to a global audience.
Culturati will feature a meticulously curated collection of traditional art and craft, each with its unique story and cultural significance. The platform aims to promote sustainability by working closely with artisans to ensure fair trade practices and the use of eco-friendly materials. By offering a platform and marketing support for these artisans, Culturati seeks to preserve traditional crafts and provide sustainable livelihoods for craftsmen across India.
Radhakrishnan expressed her excitement about the launch, stating, “We are on a mission to make traditional cool again. Culturati is not just an e-commerce platform; it is a celebration of India’s rich artistic heritage. By bridging the gap between traditional artisans and global consumers, we aim to create a sustainable ecosystem that honors and preserves our cultural legacy.”
Pepper Media, under Indhu Radhakrishnan’s leadership, has established itself as a powerhouse in digital media, renowned for its innovative storytelling and content creation. Leveraging this expertise, Culturati will present each artisan’s story, creating a deeper connection between the consumer and the craft. This emphasis on storytelling not only highlights the craftsmanship but also honors the cultural heritage and traditions behind each piece.
Culturati aims to provide a seamless shopping experience, combining the authenticity of traditional crafts with the convenience of modern e-commerce. The platform will feature a diverse range of products, including art, décor, fashion jewelry, and more, all sourced from skilled artisans across India.
Culturati invites everyone to explore the vibrant world of Indian crafts, support local artisans, and become a part of the journey to preserve India’s artistic heritage. For more information, visit www.culturati.in.
e-commerce
Visa report tracks rise of India’s affluent, experience-led spending
Affluent base doubles to 130 lakh, travel 58 per cent of elite spends.
MUMBAI: In India’s new luxury playbook, it’s less about owning more and more about living better. A new whitepaper by Visa Consulting and Analytics (VCA) maps a decisive shift in India’s affluent economy, where spending is becoming more intentional, experience-led, and closely tied to personal identity rather than pure income growth.
Titled India’s Affluent Economy 2025–2026, the report draws on a Visa-commissioned Yougov study and VisaNet data across travel, dining, retail and lifestyle categories. The headline number is hard to miss: individuals earning over Rs 10 lakh annually have nearly doubled from 69 lakh to 130 lakh, significantly expanding the country’s discretionary spending base.
But it’s not just about scale, it’s about behaviour. As consumers move up the affluence ladder, discretionary categories are taking a larger share of credit card spends, positioning cards as key enablers of premium, lifestyle-driven consumption.
The geography of wealth is shifting too. Affluence is no longer confined to metros such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, with cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Jaipur and Lucknow increasingly mirroring metro consumption patterns.
The report highlights a clear pivot from ownership to access. More than 50 per cent of affluent consumers now use cards for elite memberships, while 7 in 10 are drawn to limited-edition drops and curated collections. Increasingly, luxury is defined by seamless access be it concierge-led travel or curated dining where time saved is as valuable as money spent.
Spending patterns reinforce this shift. Among the ultra-elite, travel accounts for 58 per cent of discretionary spends, far outpacing retail and luxury combined at 28 per cent. Cross-border spending penetration stands at 63 per cent, signalling a growing global outlook among India’s affluent.
Closer home, indulgence is becoming routine. Nearly 4 in 5 affluent consumers dine at premium establishments at least three times a year, while 1 in 4 visit luxury venues more than five times annually. Dining spends are also climbing, with Rs 20,000 emerging as a new entry-level benchmark per experience and Rs 50,000 marking premium territory.
Retail, meanwhile, is becoming more selective. Three in four affluent consumers make a high-end purchase at least once a quarter, while one in four shops premium every two weeks. Luxury retail intensity is also rising, with 2 in 5 consumers spending over Rs 5 lakh annually, and a smaller but significant segment exceeding Rs 10 lakh.
Technology and wellness are carving out new roles in this ecosystem. High-end gadgets now see average spends of Rs 60,000 or more per purchase, while ultra-elite consumers are eight times more likely to visit spas and show five times higher engagement with cosmetic stores than non-affluent groups.
The broader takeaway is structural. Affluent consumers are no longer buying products, they are buying ecosystems. Integrated experiences across travel, dining, wellness and payments are becoming central to how this segment lives and spends.
As India’s affluent base expands beyond metros and aligns more closely with global consumption patterns, the real opportunity lies not just in size, but in speed. For brands, the message is clear: relevance will be defined by how early and how seamlessly, they plug into this evolving lifestyle economy.
