49% Indians opted for online shopping in the last 12 months: LocalCircles

As per the survey by LocalCircles, in the last 12 months, 49 per cent Indian consumers opted for online sites and apps as the preferred mode of shopping. The survey received over 130,000 responses from over 42,000 consumers in 358 Indian districts

Around 18 per cent of the respondents preferred home deliveries while 31 per cent visited malls, local retailers and markets. Forty eight per cent of thembelonged to the Tier I cities while 31 per cent were from Tier II districts and 21 per cent were from Tier III, Tier IV and rural districts.

Safety from COVID-19 and convenience were cited as top reasons by these consumers for using ecommerce. Around 69 per cent of these bought groceries/essential supplies online. Besides large ecommerce platforms, consumers also used small verticals or local e-commerce sites to purchase groceries and essentials.

Consumers used services like Big Basket, Amazon Fresh/Pantry, Jio Mart, Flipkart, Grofers and a host of local ecommerce sites for essentials and groceries since March 20

Majority of consumers would prefer e-commerce sites and apps for their purchases in future as it offers benefits like free shipping and more effective and efficient returns and refunds process.