Even though COVID-19 lockdown has ended, 40% Indian consumers still getting majority of their essential and non-essential supplies home delivered via ecommerce or local/retail stores

40% consumers now getting majority of their essential and non essential supplies home delivered via eCommerce or local/retail stores

This would mean that 40% consumers are now getting majority of their essential and non-essential supplies home delivered via ecommerce or local/retail stores.

When consumers were asked about the key reasons for them to purchase majority of their essential and non-essential supplies via eCommerce and home deliveries, 21% said minimizing exposure to others while 6% said convenience. 71% said both minimising exposure & convenience were main reasons for them behind this move.

Majority of those who are ordering essentials and non essentials via eCommerce and home delivery services are doing it to minimise exposure to others and for convenience

This shows that majority of those who are ordering essentials and non-essentials via ecommerce and home delivery services are doing it to minimise exposure to others and for convenience. On top of it, doorstep delivery and payment of delivery makes it a better choice for the consumers in these times of COVID-19.

The final question asked since lockdown, what are the top issues they have experienced when purchasing your essential and non-essential supplies via eCommerce and home deliveries. 20% said price, 10% said product quality, 13% said exchange, returns and refund, 8% said payment Issues (Cash, Digital, etc), while 32% said long delivery times. 10% also said there were other issues.

Since lockdown, top issues faced by consumers with eCommerce and home delivery service include long delivery times, price, exchange, returns and refunds

This makes it evident that since lockdown, top issues faced by consumers with ecommerce and home delivery service include long delivery times, higher prices followed by exchange, returns and refunds. The rise in demand has definitely led to longer delivery times for many platforms and vanishing of many of the so called ‘big discounts’ which the ecommerce site claimed to provide. Most major grocery platforms for instance have reduced the discounts offered on even their in house brands from 25-35% range to 0-15% range. Hence the consumer is clearly paying for the convenience. Also, exchange and returns according to consumers have become difficult due to restrictions placed due to containment zone rules, colony and society rules where one has to go to the gate even if they were trying to get something of nominal value replaced.

Recently, a popular ecommerce platform added 2.5L new customers on the first day of its annual sale proving that people want to avoid going to markets at any cost. Similarly, many brick and mortar stores are now taking orders over phone and whatsapp and delivering within a few hours. 40% consumers are using both these options quite effectively not just in metros but also tier 2 and tier 3 cities of India. If this continues for a few more months, it is likely to become a habit for many consumers where most supplies come home and they don’t go to get the supplies. As that happens, malls and traditional retailers that rely for sales primarily on store visits will have to change their models and value proposition to cater to this new model.

Survey Demographics

25,000 responses were received from 231 districts of India. 61% respondents were men while 39% respondents were women. 57% respondents were from tier 1, 31% from tier 2 and 12% respondents were from tier 3, 4 and rural districts. They survey was conducted via LocalCircles platform and all participants are validated citizens who had to be registered with LocalCircles to participate in this survey.