The world has been stupefied since the outbreak of the coronavirus. People had never imagined such a situation and were not prepared. Due to this pandemic, most of our lives have taken a turn concerning changes in our lifestyles. One of the major changes faced was in the shopping habit. People who went out to shop almost every day, are now forced to bulk buy or order online or go out risking their health.
Indian consumers have a degree of family orientation and value orientation. This means that Indian consumers prefer brands that promote togetherness, family values, feelings, and emotions through their messages. Indian people prefer fresh food items. Hence, they rarely purchase packed food. Indian people do not mind paying extra for convenience. The majority of people in India purchase clothes on special occasions. Thus, they give importance to traditions and customs. Indians are reluctant to purchase items on loan. However, this is changing in today’s time.
Grocery shopping before the pandemic was seeing growth through online modes of purchase. It wasn’t full-fledged but the increased disposable income, want for convenience, changing lifestyle, and increased use of the internet were changing slowly changing the way groceries were used to be purchased. Online grocery shopping was becoming common in the urban areas and the metro cities whereas in-store purchase was still a common practice in the rural areas. Overall, the in-store purchase practice was not abandoned in India because online shopping had some loopholes in the form of increased delivery time, risks, and concerns for fraud, etc., and the in-store purchasing had some benefits in the form of display, meeting customer expectations, personalized services, experiencing the product, etc.
Since grocery products are essential items, the industry has not seen a striking block in operations during the pandemic. Except for the sudden surge in panic-buying seen at the very beginning of the pandemic, the shopping habits of people have remained consistent with the pre-pandemic scenario for grocery products. Even the preferred channels for grocery buying are still offline. Despite many stores and apps offering home-delivery services, 72.7% of the people still said they would prefer to buy groceries from the store.
Shopping is a major part of our lives which has seen a drastic change due to the onset of this pandemic. We have seen how people are shifting from in-person buying to online shopping due to the safety, convenience, and discounts it provides since there is a decrease in the disposable incomes of households. The shift in lifestyle and shopping habits has crumpled the offline retail system but has helped eCommerce companies pan out, leading to a better online market with increasing reach every day. People have familiarised themselves with this lifestyle, but there will be further changes that they encounter in the future due to the uncertainty this time brings.