Gen Z’s ‘fun funds’ shift discretionary spending toward experiences
Indian Gen Z consumers are increasingly setting aside budgets for concerts, travel and workshops. A BookMyShow-EY-Parthenon report found 78% prefer experiences over physical products, while 44% make unplanned experiential purchases.
What happened
BookMyShow · Gen Z consumers in India are increasingly earmarking “fun funds” for spontaneous experiences such as concerts, travel and workshops, shifting
Key facts
- 78% of Indian consumers prefer spending on experiences over physical products
- 44% make unplanned experiential purchases
- ₹1 lakh spent annually on activities by one consumer
- 23-year-old entrepreneur
- 21-year-old consumer
- seven-day Meghalaya trip
- five months of rehabilitation
Why this matters
Target partnerships or acquisitions in ticketing, travel, workshops and loyalty ecosystems to build a broader experience-commerce proposition for Gen Z.
What to watch
- Growth in concert, cinema, travel and activity-platform bookings versus discretionary retail sales.
- Ticket-price inflation, sell-through rates and resale-market activity for major events.
- Mall footfall and tenant conversion on event days versus non-event days.
- Share of Gen Z loyalty redemptions used for access, dining and services rather than product discounts.
- Credit-card and UPI transaction trends in travel, entertainment, dining, apparel and beauty.
- Brand adoption of ticket-linked promotions, limited drops and experiential loyalty benefits.
- Build event-calendar merchandising around concerts, festivals, college seasons and long weekends, with pre-event and post-event offers.
- Bundle products with experiences: beauty services, food-and-beverage credits, travel add-ons, workshops, creator meet-ups and ticket-linked rewards.
- Shift loyalty programs from points-only discounts toward early access, exclusive reservations, priority queues and member experiences.
- Use mall and store formats as social destinations through pop-ups, classes, live performances and fandom-led activations.
- Track category cannibalization by cohort, especially whether event and travel spend lowers fashion, accessories, electronics and beauty basket frequency.