Business Today – 1 February 2026

Summary

84 percent of India's Gen Z expects to spend more in 2025, but brand loyalty is fading fast — Business Today's February 1, 2026 34th Anniversary Special Issue leads with "The New Consumption Engine," a first-of-its-kind survey by BT and Price that decodes what the Zoomer generation actually wants. The cover story reports that quality beats price for 67 percent of respondents, Instagram and YouTube dominate discovery, and instant-delivery platforms are reshaping retail expectations. The survey surveyed 5,000 respondents across 15 cities.

The issue marks 34 years of Business Today with a special report that challenges the lazy "impulse buyer" stereotype about Gen Z. The data reveals that this cohort researches products for an average of 4.2 days before purchasing and values peer reviews over celebrity endorsements by a ratio of 3-to-1. Instant-commerce platforms like Blinkit and Zepto are cited as the top two preferred channels for daily essentials.

The anniversary issue also covers import imbalance, coffee industry trends, and workplace generational value clashes. The BT-Price survey methodology and full data tables are included.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story / Consumer Behaviour

p.0 · The New Consumption Engine — Gen Z Survey
The BT-Price survey of 5,000 respondents across 15 Indian cities reveals that 84 percent of Gen Z expects to increase spending but 72 percent would switch brands for a better digital experience. Quality is the top purchase driver at 67 percent, followed by price at 23 percent and brand name at just 10 percent. Instagram drives 41 percent of product discovery; YouTube accounts for 32 percent. Marketing teams should rebuild their Gen Z media mix using these discovery-channel ratios.

▸ Economy / Trade

p.0 · Import Imbalance
India's import bill for electronics and machinery crossed 65 billion dollars in 2025, with China accounting for 52 percent of the total. The article tracks the government's production-linked incentive impact: mobile phone exports rose 40 percent year-on-year but component imports also increased. Trade policy analysts can use the PLI output-import ratio to assess net forex impact.

▸ Agriculture / Commodities

p.0 · Coffee Industry Trends
India's coffee production hit a record 4.2 lakh tonnes in 2025, driven by robusta exports to European markets. Domestic consumption grew 18 percent year-on-year, led by cold coffee and café culture in Tier 2 cities. The article names the top three Indian coffee exporters by volume. Coffee traders should note the domestic consumption growth rate for production allocation decisions.

▸ Workplace / HR

p.0 · Generational Values at Work
The survey data shows that 58 percent of Gen Z employees would leave a job that does not offer hybrid working, compared to 31 percent of millennials. The article profiles how companies like HCL Technologies and Godrej Group have adapted their HR policies to retain younger talent. HR leaders can use the 58 percent statistic in their hybrid-work business case.

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Editor's Take

The Gen Z consumption survey is the kind of original research that makes an anniversary issue worth the cover price. The 5,000-respondent sample across 15 cities is credible, and the findings — quality over price, Instagram over celebrities, 4.2-day research cycles — challenge enough assumptions to be genuinely useful for marketers. The import-imbalance and coffee-trend pieces are competent but feel like filler relative to the cover package. The issue's main problem is structural: after the Gen Z feature, the remaining editorial feels like a collection of leftovers from previous issues rather than a curated anniversary edition. A stronger second feature would have balanced the book.

Strengths
• Gen Z survey delivers original, marketable primary research
• Brand-switching data (72 percent) is a wake-up call for CMOs
• Hybrid-work statistic (58 percent) is HR-deck-ready

Weaknesses
• Post-cover editorial lacks thematic coherence
• Coffee and import pieces read as space-fillers

Verdict: Recommended — Buy for the Gen Z survey data alone; marketers will find enough actionable numbers to justify the price.