Well-off Indian consumers carried on with their festive spending spree even as even as ordinary shoppers were forced to kept their purse strings tight during this year's sale season owing to sticky inflation, ToI reported on November 16 citing latest data.Expensive watches and gadgets were popular purchases this years, even as many people cut back on spending, said the report (by Asmita Dey). Companies like Titan saw big growth in sales of their high-end products. "We also witnessed healthy volume growth of 27% (for watches), clearly indicating that consumer appetite for premium timepieces remains robust despite inflationary pressures,” ToI's report said quoting Rahul Shukla, a Titan executive.Titan reported a 34% rise in sales value for the festive period, with watches priced above Rs 50,000 doing particularly well. Other companies like Godrej Appliances also reported similar trends.Their sales grew by 50% as buyers opted for premium appliances like high-end washing machines and air conditioners. 115356887Experts believe that rising prices have made everyday essentials more expensive, impacting how much people with lower incomes can spend on non-essential items. This is reflected in slower overall retail sales growth compared to the past two years. However, there is hope that the upcoming wedding season will boost sales across different price points. Budget-friendly smartphones and appliances have already seen increased demand.Analysts predict around 4.8 million weddings in November and December, potentially leading to increased spending in the coming months.