Mumbai: HerKey, in association with Havas Creative India, the creative agency of Havas India, has unveiled a new cross-industry report titled “The Paradox of Influence: Women’s Structural Power vs Marketing Reality.” The study highlights the growing economic and cultural influence of women consumers in India while pointing to a persistent gap between their purchasing power and the way brands engage with them.
According to the report, women influence 70–85% of purchase decisions across consumer categories in India, reinforcing their position as one of the country’s most influential consumer groups. However, the study finds that many brands are still navigating how to engage women strategically and meaningfully.
HerKey, an AI-powered career engagement platform designed to support women in starting, restarting and advancing their careers, collaborated with Havas Creative India to examine how brands across sectors are responding to this influence. The report draws insights from marketing leaders across industries including FMCG, retail, fashion, BFSI, healthcare, auto and personal care, combining survey data, in-depth interviews and secondary research.
Despite women influencing a significant share of consumer decisions, the findings reveal a clear gap between recognition and action in brand strategy. While 79% of marketers acknowledge that women’s influence has increased over the past two years, only 14% consider themselves leaders in women-centric marketing, indicating that many organisations recognise the opportunity but have yet to operationalise it fully.
The report also notes that in sectors traditionally associated with women such as fashion, personal care, FMCG and retail, only 50–70% of brands run regular women-focused campaigns. In other sectors including automobile, BFSI and real estate, where women’s influence is rising rapidly, marketing initiatives targeting women remain largely experimental or occasional.
Another key finding highlights that insight gaps rather than budget constraints are the primary barrier to effective women-focused marketing. Legacy assumptions, limited data and insufficient qualitative insights continue to restrict brands from developing deeper consumer understanding.
The study further reveals that nearly one-third of brands still portray women primarily as caregivers in their campaigns. Although marketers increasingly acknowledge the limitations of such portrayals, measurement challenges and a reliance on familiar narratives continue to slow the shift toward more nuanced storytelling.
Looking ahead, brands are beginning to rethink their engagement strategies. The report notes a shift toward community-led ecosystems (43%), followed by AI-driven personalisation (39%) and regional relevance (37%), suggesting that marketers are moving from broad reach-based strategies to more meaningful and relationship-driven engagement models.
The report also highlights what it calls the “occasion trap,” where brands tend to focus their women-centric communication around symbolic moments such as International Women’s Day or Mother’s Day rather than building sustained engagement throughout the year. This gap between women’s structural influence and marketing reality represents a significant opportunity for brands willing to invest in deeper consumer insights and authentic storytelling.
Commenting on the findings, Neha Bagaria, Founder and CEO of HerKey, said, “Women already influence the majority of purchase decisions across categories, yet the way brands engage with them has not evolved at the same pace. Our study with Havas Creative India highlights a critical gap. While women are widely recognised as powerful consumers, that recognition rarely translates into core business strategy. Truly understanding women requires moving beyond surface assumptions to the motivations and realities that shape their choices. For brands willing to invest in that depth of insight, the opportunity is not just better marketing, but meaningful and sustained growth.”
Anupama Ramaswamy, MD and Chief Creative Officer at Havas Creative India, added, “Women are not just an audience segment anymore; they are a decisive force shaping how categories evolve. But recognition alone isn’t enough. Brands need to build deeper understanding and stronger cultural connection. At Havas, our philosophy of growth, powered by desire is rooted in the belief that brands grow when they tap into real human motivations. This study with HerKey is intended to help marketers rethink how they engage women, not as a moment or message, but as a strategic driver of growth.”
Methodology:
The report combines both quantitative and qualitative research to provide a comprehensive view of women-centric marketing in India. The study includes a survey of senior marketing leaders such as CMOs, VPs of Marketing, Digital Marketing Heads, Brand Managers, CEOs and Category Leads across sectors including FMCG, fashion, BFSI, healthcare, retail, personal care, auto and F&B. These findings were supplemented with in-depth interviews and analysis of campaigns, industry reports and published research to provide a multi-layered understanding of how brands are engaging women consumers today and what continues to limit their progress.
