By Martin Shwenk Leade
Copyright indiatimes
Indian Gen Z continues to embrace Korean culture — a trend that began with BTS and dramas like Crash Landing on You and has since expanded into food, fashion, and beauty. Fuelled during the pandemic as people consumed more global content, the Korean wave is now spreading across age groups, with brands leveraging it to attract a wider consumer base.”Culturally, there are many similarities (between the two countries) which is why K-brands are welcomed by Indian people. Also, Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers are open to accepting new concepts,” said Paul Lee, managing director & country head at Korean beauty brand Amorepacific’s India unit.Brands try to catch the Gen Zs young. And there’s good reason to do that – at 377 million, Gen Zs (born between 1997-2012) make up India’s biggest consumer cohort. Many of them are also joining the workforce now, which means their ability to spend will grow. For Reliance’s Tira, K-beauty has played a “catalytic” role in engaging the Gen Z audience, said a company spokesperson. “…they are not only early adopters but also trend diffusers for other age groups,” the firm said.Korean trends are becoming part of daily life, influencing choices across food, beauty, and entertainment, said Aparna Bhawal, CMO at KFC India & partner countries. The brand is developing Korean flavours to attract young consumers. With K-dramas and music widely accessible, interest in Korean culture is spreading beyond Gen Z to working professionals and older demographics, noted Westlife FoodWorld and Tira.The Korean craze is gripping smaller towns as well, said Nykaa which will continue to expand the choice of K-Beauty brands on its platform. “From hydration staples to derma-led brands, K-beauty has evolved from fandom-led discovery to a mainstream, performance-driven category,” the company said. Rival Myntra claims to have recorded a 200% YoY surge in demand for K-beauty.Live EventsFor ITC Foods too, Korean flavour profile is equally gaining traction in smaller towns, said Hemant Malik, executive director at ITC. The brand’s Bingo! Korean chips, in fact, is one of the top penetrated products in Indian households. What has also helped the K-wave is the inclusion of Korean cuisine in restaurants and launch of Korean eateries, said Nishant Kedia, CMO, India at Rebel Foods. “Burgers worked very well among the three. Some of the items from the three ranges of products are now ongoing items in our menu,” Kedia said.(With TOI inputs)Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now!
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