Online shopping shot up in pandemic: Payback

New Delhi: Preference for online shopping shot up during the pandemic, with consumption for fitness products, home decor, electronics, apparel and kitchen appliances steadily increasing amidst altered consumer behaviour, a joint report by loyalty programme Payback and its digital research partner Unomer said on Tuesday.

The report said various categories severely dented by Covid-19 are rebounding, and based the findings on preferences in shopping from the time of the first unlock to the festive and wedding season.

Payback chief marketing officer Ramakant Khandelwal said in a statement: “The findings show how the pandemic has accelerated shoppers’ behavioural shift towards online buying.”


The report said shoppers flagged safety measures at stores as their primary concern.

Unomer chief executive officer Vinay Bapna said: “For dynamic categories, tracking consumer trends is critical so that brands and retailers stay in sync with consumer demand. The lead-times of product design, planning, distribution and marketing need to be fully aligned with consumer preferences and spending behaviour driven by data.”

Industry executives attribute the surge in online grocery sales to state-wise lockdowns which kept consumers away from super markets and modern trade outlets, leading them to switch to shopping for grocery on e-commerce.