Indian consumers are status conscious.

Conspicuous consumption is taking hold in India. According to a June 4, 2007 story in the Christian Science Monitor (Boston) India's consumers are markedly status conscious and therefore at the very highest end of the consuming spectrum these consumers are quite demanding. "At all socioeconomic levels, Indian shoppers are becoming more `aspirational,' using their new wealth to buy status in a country where social cachet is a vital commodity."

Indian society, says the Monitor, has not fully recovered from its rigid caste system. And in some ways, social class is maintained by conspicuous consumption.

A locally based analyst for the global market research and consulting firm A. T. Kearney told the Monitor that social hierarchy is established in a subtle way the country, and consumers tend to use products as symbols of "different levels of standing."

The Monitor cited the consulting firm McKinsey & Company for results of a recent survey, which estimated that Indian consumer spending will triple by 2025 because consumer incomes are likely to grow approximately 80 percent. The study also found that consumer spending increased 40 percent to 50 percent across all economic segments.

Another interesting fact from the story: When Indian consumers shop for a new car, they tend to buy models that are "fully loaded."