Majority people prefer physical visit to medical stores, avoid hyper markets during pandemic: Study

More than two-thirds of people consider local kirana stores safe to buy groceries followed by online stores like Big Basket and Amazon Pantry amid coronavirus pandemic, a survey has found.

Hyper-super markets like More and Big Bazaar are least preferred during this time, the survey by market research firm Velocity MR said in a report.

A majority of people prefer to visit medical stores for buying medicines even as app-based online pharmacies Medlife and Netmeds are most popular in the segment.

Besides 72 per cent of respondents feel Kirana stores are safer to buy groceries, followed by home delivery from online stores likeAmazon Pantry andBig Basket, the report titled 'Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond: A Consumer Perspective', said.

 

Moreover, it also found that 52 per cent of people are using lockdown as an opportunity to upgrade skills and enrol in online courses.

"Online learning platforms saw more enrollment from sectors like IT and Education with 56 per cent and 58 per cent respectively than the Finance and Marketing sector. EduTech companies also saw a rise withByjusenrolling students at 33 per cent, followed byUnacademyand Udemy 28 per cent, it said.

The data for the study was collected in April 2020 from a stratifiedsample size of 3,000 respondents. T

For the working professionals, both salaried & business owners preferred video conferencing apps likeWhatsApp, Skype, Google Duo,andZoom. More than 80 per cent of respondents use WhatsApp for video conferencing, thus, making it the top video conferencing app used during the lockdown, it said.

Social media apps such asWhatsApp, YouTube,andFacebook were used regularly during the lockdown.

It is rather interesting to note that all social media apps have been used almost equally by both genders. Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat are used by respondents with less than 35 years of age, whereas respondents above 35 years of age use Facebook. Hence, brands with a young target audience can consider Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat to roll their marketing campaigns, said Velocity MR Managing Director & CEO Jasal Shah.