COVID-19 Lockdown: Majority of consumers want to buy goods from kiranas going forward, finds survey

New Delhi: Majority of the consumers in India want to buy from locally sourced items going forward that reflects the trust built by _kirana_s during the lockdown, according to a survey. Consumers in the country are also not rushing to stock grocery in their homes, according to the survey titled ‘‘Deloitte Global State of the Consumer Tracker’’. It said that spending pattern of the consumers has changed over the past six weeks with 55 percent respondents, of the 1,000 participated, are willing to spend a lot more on less discretionary items like groceries, and 52 percent on everyday household goods. “Seventy-two percent consumers want to buy from locally sourced items going forward which goes on to show the trust built by kiranas during lockdown,” it said. Further, 64 percent of consumers in India stated that they will buy from brands that have responded well to crisis. On mobility, it said majority consumers want to limit the use of public transit and 70 percent wants to avoid ride-hailing options altogether. Similarly, 79 percent consumers in the country have an intention to own a new vehicle, the report said. Commenting on the survey highlights, Anil Talreja, partner and consumer industry leader, Deloitte India, said it gives a pulse of the consumer behaviour and trend during these challenging times. “It gives a reflection of the heightened consumer apprehension, which are at the core of their decision-making. This, in turn, will also steer consumer product companies to build their new strategies around sales and marketing,” he said. For the survey, consumers over 18 years were invited to complete the questionnaire via e-mail. It is fielded in 13 countries (targeting 1,000 individual responses per country/wave). The countries include India, Australia, Canada, China, and France. The time period of the survey was between 19 April and 16 May.