The coronavirus lockdown has brought a sea change in the buying behaviour of many Indians, such as purchasing vegetables and other consumables without asking for prices, far from the old habit of asking 'dhaniya' or 'mirchi' free from vendors, according to a survey by Enormous Brands.
The web-based survey, conducted between March 30 and April 22, took feedback from 3,737 respondents in cities including Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune and Ahmedabad.
It found that there has also been a sharp increase in adoption of digital technology by older people to join the e-commerce bandwagon for ordering items like milk, grocery and home essentials and paying through wallets and UPI.
The study also found that COVID19 has helped in forming an opinion for pushing the 'Make in India' agenda, with 42 per cent believing that "there is an active and deliberate attempt by China to spread COVID across the world for economic gains" which has led to a strong anti-China sentiment.
"The stay-at-home mandate has changed the behavior and attitudes of many Indians. Indians who were born and brought up asking for 'dhaniya' or 'mirchi' free from the vegetable vendors are now buying vegetables and other consumables without asking the prices. Stay-at-home orders have thus caused visible major shifts in people's behavior," said the survey.
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Around 42 per cent of respondents claimed they buy vegetables and other consumables without asking for prices, which is a drastic shift from a universal value-conscious, penny pinching Indian mentality, it added.
The Enormous Brands surevy also found that India's older population adopted digital technology faster during the lockdown, with as much as 47 per cent higher adoption among elders(55-65 years) of e-commerce for ordering milk, grocery and home essentials and paying through wallets/UPI.
"The banks have been promoting internet banking for over a decade, in just the last month the data suggest that first time users have increased by 28 per cent. The maximum shift of 33 per cent is among the (elderly) age group," it said.
With lockdown forcing people at home, one of the the obvious choices to spend time is television watching.
The study found that TV viewership grew from strength to strength during lockdown, shining over OTT platforms. It found that 43 per cent saw cable TV as the primary entertainment in the high-income households and 13 per cent across the sample size re-activated their DTH/cable subscription, it said.
"Interestingly, 'news' has emerged as the new GEC (general entertainment category). A staggering 64 per cent of TV viewing time across the TV viewing population is spent on the news channels, while 43 per cent believe that news reporting is unbiased and 27 per cent believe that there is a clear indication that few news channels are pro a particular political party," the survey said.
Commenting on the findings, Enormous Brands Managing Partner Ajay Verma said, "The young Indian population is behaving very differently from other parts of the globe. The study suggests a high level of optimism even in a situation that has brought the entire world in a lock-down and also showcased that households feel confident about the revival of the Indian economy."
This study was conducted to help brands understand how the current situation is moulding the habits, behaviour and attitudes of Indians, he added.
As per the survey, newspapers are poised for a strong return, with 74 per cent of the respondents saying they missed their daily newspaper. While 29 per cent have moved to reading newspapers online, only 4 per cent would unsubscribe from the hard copy.
"Looks like the newspaper is a habit like coffee that has grown on the Indian palette, making it difficult to part with," it said.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
