Indian homemakers are increasingly adopting digital payments and online applications for both work and entertainment, according to the latest EY report ‘Sentiments of India: homemakers, backbone of our homes’. The behavior and consumption patterns of homemakers and their households across areas like digital adoption increase in shopping basket size, festive spending, work ambitions, and the evolving social dynamics of homemaking.
According to the report, around 28 percent homemakers said they would shop online and 24 percent would prefer couriering the gifts. Around 52 percent homemakers switched to online purchasing in at least one category of essentials, while 15 percent homemakers used online ordering apps for the first time. Close to 50 percent homemakers stated using OTT platforms for entertainment, and 55 percent respondents reported using online platforms for leisurely learning. Around 48 percent homemakers preferred UPI and digital wallets.
Shashank Shwet, Partner - Design Thinking and Digital Transformation, EY India, says, “Though there is an accelerated uptake of online shopping among homemakers, digital literacy remains a bottleneck for wider adoption of digital channels, especially in the older age categories".
Supply chain disruptions due to lockdowns meant lesser availability of preferred brands and homemakers were forced to try newer options. Around 35 percent homemakers have permanently shifted to newer brands in at least one of the grocery categories, indicating an increasing openness to try new brands.
