Getting out as a family for shopping, dining or watching a movie, especially during festive seasons and weekends, has been the core of Bengaluru’s behaviour. All such set customer behaviour and buying patterns have drastically changed after the pandemic disrupted everything that hitherto seemed ‘normal’. In its stead we have a whole new paradigm around how we shop, pay bills, consume entertainment or access healthcare.
Citing a study done by his firm, Harish Bijoor, CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults, said the pandemic fast-tracked digital buys like never ever before. As a result, 77% of Bengalureans shop online today which was around 20% in pre-pandemic days, he claimed.
“The depth of involvement with e-buying deepened dramatically over the last two years. Those who were just e-browsers became active e-buyers in this period. Also, trust norms in e-buys have deepened giving customers more confidence to shop online,” Mr. Bijoor commented.
E-buys, which were hitherto restricted to electronics, mobiles and garments now covered every vertical right up to essentials including vegetables, fruits and dairy.
Consumers also saw e-buying as an effective way to implement social distancing and follow other safety measures such as not stepping out unnecessarily, observed Vaitheeswaran Kothandaraman, a city resident and a pioneer in Indian e-commerce. Firms, like his own Again Drinks, a beverage company, are getting strategising differently to suit this changed pattern.
Social distancing
Panchumarthi Lakshmi Bheemesh, a mechanical engineer-turned-entrepreneur in the city, concurred that it was essentially the need for social distancing that changed the buying behaviour of people. “My family is now fully adjusted to digitalisation for shopping, banking, calling in food and for various other things,'' added Mr. Bheemesh.
Anjan Jayasimha, a content creator at a city firm, noted that digital platforms are also offering comfortable price points that offline can’t often match up to it.
On the other hand, there is also a constant fear of getting infected by the virus or of losing jobs. “So, both health and financial aspects have to be protected,” he said. He noted that people are reluctant to buy new stuff or experiment with new things like they used to in the past.
A significant section of people now buy only what they consider “urgent”. For many families, this change has led to a huge cut in buying of even up to 50%, according to Annie Minerva, a writer and film director.
It has also changed what we spend on. Many are investing in health monitor equipment or shifting to organic foods, fruits and vegetables to boost immunity, says city-based communications professional Vinay Muniswamy.
“Earlier, during every Amazon and Flipkart sales, I was very keen on upgrading my tech gadgets. However, the pandemic has made me rethink my spending and buying habits. I restrict most of my buying to essentials and health products today,” he added.
