Birla Opus Sees Digital Buying Shift in India’s Paints Market

• Birla Opus becomes India’s second most recalled paint brand within 18 months

• Data-led colour insights reveal strong regional preferences and repeat choices

• Consumers show early signs of digital discovery and demand for end-to-end services

India’s decorative paints market, known for long repainting cycles and deep-rooted brand loyalty, is beginning to show early signs of change. According to Birla Opus, the category is slowly moving towards organised services, experience-led retail, and assisted digital buying—while remaining largely offline for now.

Launched under the Aditya Birla Group, Birla Opus has managed to build strong awareness in a short span. Inderpreet Singh, Head of Marketing at Birla Opus, says the brand focused on sharp differentiation rather than incremental disruption in a market dominated by a single leader.

“Within just a year and a half, we are already the second most recalled paint brand in the country, with 89% aided awareness,” Singh says, noting that the traction is visible across consumer feedback, media conversations, and industry response.

Data over predictions: how India chose colours in 2025

Recently, Birla Opus released Birla Opus Replay, a year-end report that looks back at how Indians actually used colours in 2025. Unlike trend forecasts, the report is based on millions of real purchase decisions captured through Birla Opus Tinting Machines across the country.

The data highlights strong regional preferences—lighter shades dominating southern markets, while the north and east leaned towards deeper mid-tones. Nationally, a dark bluish-grey shade called Fort Kochi, from the Neutrals family, emerged as the most popular colour.

Despite growing experimentation during festivals and special occasions, the report shows that nearly 50% of buyers consistently chose from the same 20 trusted shades, underlining how familiarity still drives paint decisions in India.

“These insights directly influence our product development and market-specific offerings,” Singh says.

Building a distinct voice in a traditional category

From the start, Birla Opus avoided category clichés. Singh explains that in paints, any generic messaging risks being subconsciously credited to the market leader.

“If you don’t create sharp distinctiveness, whatever you say eventually benefits someone else,” he says.

To counter this, the brand adopted a “head and heart” approach—balancing functional credibility with emotional storytelling. This led to its core positioning, Duniya Ko Rang Do, which presents paint as a medium for personal and social change, not just home improvement.

One of the brand’s boldest moves was launching with an animated film and introducing the Opus Boy character—an unconventional choice in a category dominated by live-action realism.

“Many warned us that animation would make us look like a cartoon brand,” Singh recalls. “But that very difference helped us stand out.”

The Opus Boy continues to anchor Birla Opus’ storytelling, including its first 2026 campaign launched on January 9, which explores emotional disconnect in modern families shaped by screen-heavy lifestyles.

Turning ‘newness’ into a strength

Instead of downplaying the fact that it was a new entrant, Birla Opus leaned into it. Early consumer feedback often suggested waiting for the brand to “stabilise.”

“We questioned why being new had to be a disadvantage,” Singh says.

This thinking shaped the positioning Naye Zamane Ka Naya Paint, reframing newness as modern, progressive, and digitally aware. The brand reinforced this message by signing contemporary film stars Vicky Kaushal and Rashmika Mandanna as ambassadors—faces that resonated strongly with younger, aspirational consumers.

Festivals remain a key part of communication, but Birla Opus uses them as narrative settings rather than decorative cues. Whether it’s Pongal, Ganpati, or Diwali, the stories focus on human emotions—family bonds, longing, and small personal victories—allowing campaigns to scale nationally despite regional contexts.

Reimagining paint retail and services

Another gap Birla Opus identified early was the lack of evolution in paint retail environments. Compared to tiles or sanitaryware, paint stores have remained largely transactional.

This insight led to the brand’s focus on franchise-led experience stores, where consumers explore finishes, textures, and combinations rather than relying only on shade cards. The goal is to help buyers feel informed and confident before committing.

According to Singh, premiumisation today is as much about experience as it is about product quality. This shift is also driving demand for end-to-end painting solutions, where consumers prefer branded players to manage consultation, application, and finishing.

“The category is getting more organised,” he says. “People want a single, accountable brand.”

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Tenants, services, and what lies ahead

While DIY painting continues to grow globally, Singh believes India will remain service-led for the foreseeable future, supported by affordable labour and neighbourhood contractors. At the same time, branded service offerings are gaining trust.

Another subtle shift is the growing influence of tenants in repainting decisions, especially in urban rental markets. While still a smaller segment, Singh notes that tenant-driven décor choices are becoming more common, cutting across both economy and premium paint ranges.

Looking ahead, Birla Opus plans to deepen its association with cricket, high-impact entertainment properties, and festivals, while continuing with its current brand ambassadors and the Opus Boy narrative.

“The focus is refinement, not reinvention,” Singh says.

He expects the decorative paints market to grow steadily, supported by rising incomes, nuclear families, shorter repainting cycles, and ongoing premiumisation—while competition intensifies as the market becomes more organised.