Two people can stand in front of the same shelf, look at the same product, and make a purchase for entirely different reasons.

One might choose the brand they have trusted for years. The other might have discovered it in a creator’s video last night.

Both might buy it. But the journey that brought them there is changing.

As someone who works with brands, I find this shift particularly interesting in India’s FMCG and F&B categories, where everyday purchases are increasingly shaped by digital discovery, changing aspirations, convenience and the need for trust.

Millennials and Gen Z are not just different age groups. They have grown up with different relationships with brands.

For many Millennials, brand discovery and evaluation often involve a familiar mix of reputation, recommendations, reviews, price and perceived quality. They may be willing to try something new, but the product still has to earn its place in an established routine.

Gen Z, on the other hand, has grown up with an almost endless stream of new products, opinions and alternatives. Discovery can begin with a reel, a creator, a friend’s recommendation or a trend. A brand may enter their consideration set before they have even searched for the product category.

That doesn't mean Gen Z buys without thinking. Research suggests quite the opposite.

According to the 2025 ET–Snapchat Gen Z Index, 84% of Gen Z respondents research both online and offline to find the best deals, while 85% said they were more likely to buy from brands that held personal meaning for them.

In other words, discovery might be quick. Conviction can take more work.

And the broader Indian market is changing just as quickly.

A March 2026 report by Alvarez & Marsal and CII, based on a survey of 2,019 consumers across 54 cities, found that:

• 83% rely on reviews before making a purchase.

• 73% explore multiple channels during the buying journey.

• 64% complete purchases across two or more channels to meet a single need.

• 77% expect delivery within two hours.

These numbers tell us something important: the purchase journey is no longer neatly contained within a store, a website or an advertisement.

A consumer might discover a snack on Instagram, check its ingredients and reviews, compare prices on a marketplace, and buy it through a quick-commerce app. Another might notice it on a supermarket shelf, search for it later and order it online.

The route changes. The expectation of a credible product doesn't disappear.

What does this mean for FMCG and F&B brands?

I think we need to look beyond the question of which generation we are targeting and pay closer attention to what earns a brand consideration, what builds confidence, and what finally tips the decision toward purchase.

For a food brand, that could mean the difference between a product that looks appealing in a short video and one whose ingredients, taste, price and packaging hold up to scrutiny.

For a legacy FMCG brand, it could mean understanding whether familiarity still gives it an advantage with younger consumers—or whether that familiarity has made the brand easy to overlook.

And for a new D2C brand, it raises another question: in a category crowded with similar promises, what makes a consumer pause long enough to consider a product they have never bought before?

I don't think the answer lies in making every brand louder, younger or more trend-driven. Nor do I think Millennials and Gen Z can be neatly divided into two sets of rules.

What interests me is the gap between what a brand believes makes it desirable and what a consumer actually needs to believe before buying it.

Because when discovery is abundant, alternatives are one scroll away, and trust has to be earned across multiple touchpoints, what really makes one FMCG or F&B brand worth choosing—and choosing again?

I'd be curious to hear how founders and marketers are seeing this change in their categories.