Instagram user Pujarini Pradhan posts on feminism, books and films from her home in rural West Bengal

The fissures in influencer marketing came to the fore last week as India’s netizens became polarised over a content creator from West Bengal. Everyone adored Pujarini Pradhan, a saree-clad village woman who unexpectedly posts about feminism, books and films from a rural home; her handle @lifeofpujaa ratcheted up 6,75,000 followers. But when she landed deals from Netflix and Audible, there was an uproar. Suddenly, there were accusations over whether Puja’s personality was authentic or “constructed” — were the mud walls a set, or real? Meanwhile, many spoke out in support of Puja, too, slamming the detractors over a class and language bias. What the whole controversy shows is the growing distrust in the influencer ecosystem, and the jealousy and rivalry among content creators.

Is loyalty slipping?

Accenture’s new research report, ‘Luxe eternal: The customer edit’, finds that in the luxury segment customer loyalty is weakening, and the conventional standards of luxury no longer carry the same weight.

The report says that the active luxury customer base has experienced a notable contraction.

After reaching approximately 400 million active buyers in 2022, the number has declined to roughly 340 million by 2025 globally — signalling a disconnect between rising global wealth and consumer interest in the luxury market.

In India, loyalty is eroding, finds the report, with 73 per cent of luxury customers switching from their preferred brand in the past five years and 66 per cent saying that luxury had become more profit-driven than aspirational.

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Published on April 6, 2026