Festive shopping down, say industry observers

For anybody who thought final 12 months’s extremely muted Ugadi was a one-off, a second wave of COVID-19 infections has ensured that one more pageant stays a sombre affair. For the distributors who cater to the calls for of individuals throughout this pageant, there may be little cheer regardless that Ugadi is only some days away.

The quantum of festive shopping within the metropolis is down by 50% (offline) and 30% (on-line) because the temper in retail markets stays uninteresting due to the ‘second wave’ of the pandemic, say industry observers.

“The reality is people always shopped more during festive seasons. However, this season has not seen normal volumes picking up. The overall mood is low and sombre as everybody has a friend or a family member who is affected by the virus,” mentioned K. Vaitheeswaran, popularly generally known as the daddy of Indian e-commerce and in addition CEO of city-based AGAIN Drinks.

This 12 months, the Ugadi season coincides with the marriage season and in addition Ramzan, making it one of many probably most profitable seasons for retailers within the metropolis.

Sajjan Raj Mehta, a senior garment dealer from Chickpet, the wholesale hub of the town, mentioned, “Last year, we were under complete lockdown during the festival. The only saving grace this time is that we are open for business. But there has been no uptake in business volumes for the festive season, which essentially only means a washout. With restrictions on marriages as well, even that business has not picked up.”

Certain brick-and-mortar shops are providing enticing gives to draw footfall. However, retailers, usually, imagine that with the second wave of infections, shoppers have grow to be extra cautious about stepping out.

A senior supervisor with a sequence of residence home equipment retailer within the metropolis mentioned Ugadi being the brand new 12 months for the Kannada and Telugu talking populations, many often buy new gadgets throughout this season, inflicting a swell in enterprise. “Despite a particularly hot summer beginning weeks ago, not even air cooler sales have shot up to expected levels, indicating the deep economic crisis and lack of purchasing power of people,” he mentioned.

While there was a normal droop in enterprise quantity in comparison with earlier years, brick and mortar companies have been notably hit as shoppers are more and more transferring on-line.

Some 37% of households in Bengaluru are anticipated to be utilizing e-commerce websites as their major channel for shopping within the subsequent six months, says Sachin Taparia of LocalCircles, a platform to gauge the heartbeat of the nation.

To money in on Ugadi, most e-commerce gamers are providing large reductions, some as much as 70% to draw site visitors to their websites.

The solely saving grace for the pageant appears to be the costs of greens, fruits and flowers, which used to skyrocket. They are comparatively cheaper this 12 months, additionally indicating lack of demand and enthusiasm for the pageant.

Second wave wipes out festive cheer

Fear, warning, and an total dullness in sentiment as a result of second wave of COVID-19 has meant that Ugadi celebrations shall be low-key at greatest.

“No one seems to be excited about Ugadi shopping this time. We are only hoping and praying that we will have a happy Ugadi at least next year,” mentioned Asha Micheal, an HR skilled.

Bhagya Channegowda, a homemaker and resident of Vijayanagar, mentioned, “Going out is a big deal now when COVID-19 cases are on the rise again. I have two grandchildren, aged five and one. They play with me. I can’t take a risk. So no shopping this Ugadi.”

According to Anjan Jayasinha, a communications skilled who resides in Uttarahalli, gone are the times when households waited for festivals or particular events for a shopping spree. “Now, shopping is a round-the-year activity for many people. If there wasn’t a threat of the virus, I would have loved to take my wife and sons out to shop for the experience.”

Accounting skilled Santosh Nanjundaswamy from Rajarajeshwarinagar has determined to not miss his household’s Ugadi enjoyable twice in a row. He took his spouse Shruti and 12-year-old daughter out for a fast shopping session on Saturday. “We didn’t go out anywhere the whole of last year and were waiting to shop for Ugadi this time. So we didn’t cancel our plan. But we went out with all possible safety gear,” he mentioned.

“It’s not a festival unless you buy new clothes. I ordered a silk sari online and my daughters too bought some stuff. As a final touch, we are shopping in Gandhi Bazaar on Sunday,” mentioned Shantha Nataraja from Basavanagudi, who teaches pc science on-line.