Covid-19 spurs Indian e-commerce to raise stakes in grocery

E-commerce firms have become the go-to for shopping, and more so during a pandemic. But what would you find if you went lockdown-shopping for essentials on Amazon, Flipkart, Bigbasket and Grofers? We turned to data for answers

Overall, 74% of products were out of stock in the first three weeks, but availability improved over the next two weeks

Bigbasket and Grofers raised prices over a larger number of products than Flipkart or Amazon, or even DMart (online)

The foodgrains and beverages categories had the highest number of out-of-stock products, but the smallest price hikes

But the most eye-catching reveals were in Flipkart’s prices and the availability of baby food and products

At the best of times, we turn to e-commerce to shop for everything from electronics to groceries. This year, some 175 million Indians are expected to shop online, a 46% jump from 2018, according to India Brand Equity Foundation. With the entire country locked down at home, trying to curb the spread of a pandemic, that projection could prove low as our reliance on e-commerce firms has grown. In turn, there is no better time for these companies to rope in new customers.

India first observed a self-imposed quarantine on Sunday, 21 March. Then, the central government imposed a nationwide lockdown from 25 March to 15 April, which was subsequently extended to 3 May.

AUTHOR

Prajakta Patil

Prajakta, who leads the three-member design team at The Ken loves making infographics. She is always on a hunt for data-driven business stories and meaningfully designed visualizations. Prior to The Ken, she has spent 6 years at Mint visualizing infographics for the daily.

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