Four in five urban Indian consumers say their regular shopping habits changed during the pandemic.
The consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables increased among urban Indians, but the consumption of junk food decreased during this period.
India is among the top countries to pledge to prioritize sustainability and support local businesses once the pandemic is over.
The white paper is based on more than 18,000 interviews and examines how the Covid-19 crisis has affected the FMCG sector worldwide in a number of categories.
Across all markets, several consumers said their shopping habits changed due to the pandemic, with the highest numbers coming from India (81 percent) and Mexico (83 percent).
An average of 81 percent of consumers in the 17 markets surveyed bought groceries or household items in the store in the month prior to answering this question. In India, online grocery shopping: either through delivery or a click and collect service, was just as popular during the pandemic as it was for in-store purchases.
Online delivery appears to have been far more popular than click-and-collect services in most of the markets examined. In India, there is a 37 percentage point difference between those who bought groceries online with the delivery option (50 percent) and those who picked it up (13 percent). The lockdown restrictions along with the fear of going to crowded places could have been the main reasons for this behavior.
Given the impact of the pandemic on local businesses, three in five consumers (60 percent) in all markets say they support local businesses and buy more local products once the pandemic has subsided. India and Mexico are among the top countries planning to do so (75 percent and 77 percent, respectively). Aside from helping local businesses, consumers in both countries are most likely to buy more sustainable products after the crisis ends (74 percent each).
In addition to shopping behavior, the pandemic has led to changes in the consumption of the FMCG category. The data shows that consumers reacted differently across different FMCG categories during the pandemic.
In all 17 markets, 35 percent said they ate more fresh fruits and vegetables, while only 6 percent said they ate less.
In India, two-thirds (66 percent) increased their fruit and vegetable consumption, while only 8% said they had decreased it.
Urban Indians ate more dairy products (53 percent), while chilled convenience food consumption remained unchanged (27 percent increase versus 28 percent decrease).
Frozen food intake decreased by a third (32 percent) and increased by 27 percent, while more people ate baked goods (33 percent more versus 28 percent less) and food cupboards (34 percent versus 23 percent). .
Alcohol consumption increased in three in ten urban Indians (29 percent). In fact, India (29 percent) and China (27 percent) were the leading markets, with people saying they consumed more alcohol than anywhere else in the world during the pandemic.
Cosmetics seem to have been particularly struggling during the crisis: 27 percent of consumers worldwide said they bought fewer products in this category. In India, more than a third (36 percent) reported a decrease in personal care / cosmetic product purchases.
Compared to the global average (42 percent), cleaning products for private households in India performed quite well. A large majority (70 percent) of respondents said they bought more cleaning products during the pandemic.
Commented Deepa Bhatia of YouGov India: “The Covid-19 pandemic has created both challenges and opportunities for brands operating in the broad FMCG sector. The data shows significant changes in consumer sentiment and behavior. In particular There is a shift in distance shopping as well as affinity for local businesses among urban Indians due to the ongoing crisis. ”
– IANS
san / dpb