The idea of a “premium consumer” used to be a fixed profile. High income. High loyalty. Predictably tiered choices.
Not anymore.
Today’s consumers blend high and low without blinking. They might fly budget but spend on a luxury villa. Buy supermarket wine, then order top-shelf mezcal at the bar. What matters now is not price, but perceived worth — and it changes moment to moment.
So how should premium brands respond?
We asked Nicole Bourdette-Kosmider and Jenny Southan for their perspectives.
UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY VALUE, NOT JUST WHAT THEY SPEND
“It’s all about context,” said Nicole, who’s led brand work across spirits and lifestyle. “The same person can behave like two different consumers depending on the company they’re with, their mood, even the day of the week.”
That’s not flakiness. It’s fluency. Modern consumers are curating their experiences in real time. And brands need to understand what signals ‘worth it’ in each moment.
“I decide where to invest based on what feels valuable — not just what’s expensive. That’s what people are doing more and more. They’re careful, not cheap.”
PREMIUM IS NO LONGER TIERED, IT’S SITUATIONAL
Jenny Southan sees this playing out most vividly in travel.
“People are no longer consistent in their behaviour,” she said. “Someone might stay in a luxury hotel one night, then an eco-cabin the next. It’s not about ‘upgrading’ — it’s about experience.”
The result? Premium has become more personal, less performative. Instead of chasing consistent behaviour, brands should focus on consistently understanding why a person chooses what they do.
“The idea of tiered behaviour is dissolving,” Jenny explained. “It’s no longer about status, it’s about how something makes you feel.”
WHAT WE’RE SEEING
Premium consumers today are:
- Selectively indulgent, not habitually luxury
- Mixing categories and formats constantly
- Seeking emotional value over status alignment
- More strategic, more fluid, and more self-directed
The old idea of a linear ‘trading up’ or ‘trading down’ model no longer holds. What we have now is a dynamic map of value.