This pandemic has deeply impacted the lives of Human Beings. The new social distancing norms and lockdown have changed our lives and lifestyles. Going to the market, enjoying a movie in cinema hall, or hanging out with friends and family in your favorite restaurants and hotels isn’t a normal thing to do now. Using the mask and sanitizers is the new normal. Any type of social gathering is banned. People are confined in their homes and some of their favorite shopping malls are also closed. People love to do shopping and enjoy spending thousands on their favorite brands. But this lockdown has put a full stop to their favorite activity. They are left with no choice but to wait till the lockdown is lifted. But retailers loss is the gain for online shopping companies like Amazon and Flipkart. People can order anything from the comfort of their homes and it will delivered at their doorstep. Both Amazon and Flipkart have more than 2 crore products which give a wide range of options for its consumers. Ecommerce website has given people a lifeline. People can shop their favorite products and will abide by the social distancing norms at the same time. But this pandemic has led to the closure of many businesses and many professionals have lost their jobs. People are avoiding any kind of shopping and saving money rather than investing or purchasing. The decline in purchasing power has reduced the demand. This has put a big question mark on the future of retail shops. What will be the post COVID scenario be like? When will be the situation back to normal? And when people can go out like they used to go before? These are some of the questions that a common man is asking.
Shopping is the favorite activity of people and will they prefer online shopping over retail shopping post-COVID will decide the fate of retail shops in the country.
According to the latest reports, India is only behind Russia and America in the countries most affected by COVID-19. With more than 6 lac cases as of now, the chances are that the government will consider to impose the countrywide lockdown once again. So, to avoid the spread of COVID-19 and to abide by the social distancing norms, people will prefer online shopping over retail shopping. There might be many reasons as of now, but online shopping in lockdown has benefited consumers. Goods are being delivered at the doorstep, ease of payments, and many offers on every product. Due to lockdown, consumers have started preferring online shopping and there is a sudden increase in the sale of electronic items like Smartphones, Laptops, and cameras. People will continue to prefer online shopping post-COVID also. People will prefer to shop for electronic items online but for groceries, food, and milk, they will switch back to the offline medium once the situation is normal. The shift in consumer preference is a huge setback for retailers who are already suffering huge losses. But people will definite return to their favorite shopping destinations one the situation is normal and the world is COVID free.
Yukti Kumar @ Samacharline
