Should high-ticket categories market to Gen Z?

A few weeks ago, while travelling by auto along the Western Express Highway in Mumbai, I saw a massive billboard advertising luxury residences ‘crafted for the bold, ambitious Gen Z homeowner.’

I smiled at the disconnect. I am Gen Z. I was in an auto to save ₹200 on a cab. Like many middle-class Gen Z professionals living in Mumbai’s suburbs, the idea of buying a ₹1 crore apartment still feels distant.

Yet, real estate developers and automobile brands are increasingly speaking directly to this cohort. Luxury homes are positioned as symbols of independence, while EVs are marketed as identity statements. Across high-ticket categories, youth-led tonality is becoming more visible.

So, is prioritising Gen Z in high-ticket categories like real estate and automobiles a strategic necessity or has youth-first targeting become an industry reflex?

To Gen Z or not? 

For most marketers, the question is no longer whether Gen Z matters. It is how much they matter in categories where purchase cycles are long, credit-led and tied to life-stage stability.

Shubhranshu Singh, Marketing Leader and Global Board Member at the Effie Lions Foundation, believes the answer begins with economic reality. He says, “In most high-ticket categories, Gen Z does not yet sit at the centre of revenue gravity. The structural realities of income maturity, credit eligibility and life stage triggers continue to favour late Millennials and Gen X.”

Industry data backs this view. According to Knight Frank India, the average first-time homebuyer in India is still in the 30-35 age bracket. Housing finance penetration among consumers under 27 remains limited, partly because stable income, long-term employment and credit history are still evolving in this cohort. Similarly, loan tenures of 15-25 years often require predictable income flows that younger consumers are only beginning to build.

Singh argues that this does not make Gen Z irrelevant, but simply changes their role.

“They are present in the consideration nurturing ecosystem rather than the conversion core.”

This means their participation in real estate is often indirect, as renters, aspirants and influencers in family decisions, rather than as primary loan applicants. In automobiles, the pattern is similar. Young consumers are more visible in entry-level purchases and feature comparisons but less dominant in high-value segments.

This distinction between engagement and transaction weight is critical. 

Keren Benjamin Dias, AVP Brand Planning, Lead Capital Z at White Rivers Media, points out that the industry has increasingly blurred this line. “In the quest to stay relevant, advertisers have quietly made Gen Z the default target. Their hope is that this relevance will equal growth. That equation works in fast-moving, low-commitment categories. It does not automatically hold in real estate or automobiles.”

Dias stresses that high-ticket sectors are governed by financial capability rather than cultural visibility. “High-ticket categories are governed by capital, not just culture.”

Reports indicate that discretionary spending among Gen Z continues to cluster around travel, gadgets, dining and experiences. These categories offer flexibility and short-term gratification rather than long-term financial lock-ins such as 20-year EMIs.

The gap between aspiration and affordability becomes sharper in metro markets. Property prices in cities such as Mumbai and Bengaluru have risen significantly over the last decade, while early-career salary growth has been uneven. This makes large down payments and loan eligibility difficult for younger buyers.

Why is Gen Z still relevant? 

If Gen Z is not yet driving high-ticket purchases, why do brands continue to chase them? The answer is influence.

Singh says Gen Z commands “disproportionate cultural visibility.” They dominate digital discourse, shape trends and accelerate content cycles. “Gen Z holds influence capital in abundance, while Millennials and Gen X still hold spending capital,” he notes. The risk begins when marketers treat both as the same.

According to the Internet and Mobile Association of India, younger users dominate video-led platforms like YouTube and social discovery spaces such as Instagram, making them key to category evaluation even if they are not the main buyers.

Short-video is a major growth driver, with 588 million (61%) internet users consuming it in 2025. Adoption is strongest among younger audiences, reinforcing their role in driving digital engagement.

That visibility influences broader buying systems. Dias says, “They review cars. They tour homes on YouTube. They publicly compare specifications. This creates visibility. But visibility is not the same as transaction volume.” While Millennials may sign the loan documents, Gen Z often shapes the shortlist.

Behaviour, not just age, is also driving this shift. Sai Ganesh, Brand Consultant, points out that when brands target Gen Z on visual and short-form platforms, they are often reaching other cohorts too. “It’s less about age and more about behaviour,” he says, noting that even older consumers now make decisions influenced by digital-first content.

For Vinay Kanchan, Author & Brand Storyteller, the relevance is emotional. “They are very vocal and active on media, so even if they are not buying, they influence conversations.” In family-led purchase ecosystems, younger voices often shape perceptions before the final transaction.

Studies now indicate that Gen Z is emerging as a key influencer of decision-making in Indian families. A recent report found that young consumers are actively participating in household decision-making across categories, from gadgets and vehicles to financial products, often acting as researchers and evaluators throughout the decision journey.

The risk this involves

While Gen Z may dominate cultural conversations, an excessive youth-first lens can come at a strategic cost, especially in categories where purchasing power still sits with older cohorts.

The economic reality in India remains clear. According to reports, peak earnings and asset accumulation typically happen between the ages of 30 and 50. This is also the stage when consumers are most likely to purchase homes, upgrade cars and invest in long-term financial products.

For Vinay Kanchan, the biggest risk is insight dilution. “Insights are linked to life stage. If communication is designed only for Gen Z, it will resonate primarily with Gen Z. But if you generalise too much, the messaging gets diluted.”

This matters because high-investment decisions are driven by very different emotional triggers. Consumers who grew up before and after India’s liberalisation, for instance, approach stability, risk and status differently. Over-indexing on youthful storytelling may therefore alienate the very cohort that is ready to buy.

There is also a credibility challenge. Shubhranshu Singh argues that youth-heavy communication can weaken trust signals in serious categories. “High investment decisions require signals of trust, prudence and long-term security. Communication that feels excessively youthful risks trivialising decisions that consumers approach with seriousness,” Singh says. 

For Dias, the deeper loss is emotional range and aspirational relatability. “Youth-coded communication often reflects the psychology of becoming. But high-investment purchases are made during phases of consolidation. If brands speak only in the language of trends and digital fluency, they risk narrowing the frame of aspiration.”

However, not everyone believes youth-led communication alienates older consumers. Offering a counterpoint, Sai Ganesh argues that behavioural convergence is blurring generational boundaries. As digital platforms shape consumption patterns across age groups, contemporary formats are increasingly being accepted by older cohorts as well. “Older audiences often gravitate towards what younger people find interesting. Even traditional sectors now use contemporary, content-led storytelling.”

Category context also plays a key role. Financial investing and trading platforms are seeing a rise in younger participation, with data from the National Stock Exchange of India indicating a growing base of first-time investors. The proportion of investors under 30 has increased to 38.9% in FY26. 

This creates a strategic balancing act. Youth-led communication can build aspiration and cultural relevance, but revenue still depends on life-stage alignment.

The larger question, then, is not whether Gen Z will eventually become core buyers, but how brands should track that transition.

Shubhranshu Singh believes the shift will be structural rather than cultural. “Brands should watch median income rise within the cohort, along with credit penetration and EMI accessibility. The age at which first assets are acquired offers a powerful forward lens,” he says.

As these indicators evolve, Gen Z will move from aspiration to ownership. He adds, “Until then, the strategic task is to build early emotional equity without distorting present revenue focus.” 

For Keren Benjamin Dias, the real test lies in separating digital noise from structural change. “To decide whether Gen Z is a priority audience, brands must identify the influence coefficient within their sector,” she says.

This means brands need to track when this cohort starts reshaping categories, not just participating in conversations. The shift becomes real when ownership feels normal within the group and when younger consumers begin asking for new models around ownership, financing, and transparency. That is when they move from being an audience to becoming a real growth driver.

Until then, the industry has to balance two realities. Gen Z is already influencing perception and shaping decisions. But in high-ticket categories, actual conversions are still driven by economic readiness.