YouGov Survey Reveals Paytm, Big Basket and Big Bazar Are The Most Used Apps During COVID-19 Lockdown

In a recent survey done by YouGov’s among 1000 respondents from 14th- 17th April, it revealed Paytm, Big Bazaar and Big Basket are the most used to buy essential services. Despite the strict measure taken by the state governments, 52% of Indians are moving out to buy essentials and 39% are delivering at home through nearby vendors.

 The survey also informed that 39% of the respondents use Paytm followed by 21% users are ordering through the Big Basket and 18% users are ordering through Big Bazaar. Further, one in six people use Swiggy and Zomato apps which makes it 16% and 15%, respectively.

Apps like Amazon Pantry with 16% users, Reliance Fresh with15% users, Grofers  with14% users and Dmart with 14% users ordering through these platforms. Comparatively, Flipkart Supermart with 10%, Domino’s Pizza with 7%, Milk Basket with 5%, Nature’s Basket with 4% and Dunzo with 3% are few others in the share. 

Deepa Bhatia, General Manager, YouGov India, said, “While the COVID-19 crisis has adversely impacted most businesses, it has also opened opportunities for some e-commerce players, especially those catering to the daily needs of people."

While people have indulged with delivery apps at some point during the lockdown, currently only one in five (20%) Indians are ordering essentials online through these apps. Residents in North India were more likely to say this- at 27%. Similarly, a higher number of tier-1 and tier-2 city residents are likely to order online through delivery apps as compared to tier-3 residents. Among the different age groups, people in their thirties (28%) are more likely than the rest to shop everything online.

Even though Paytm emerged as the most used delivery app for essentials during the lockdown, when it specifically comes to those who are currently only ordering online, Big Basket takes the top spot (at 44%), followed by Paytm (34%) and Grofers (33%). The e-grocer is especially popular among respondents from tier I cities, with 58% saying they shopped from Big Basket during the lockdown. Paytm on the other hand, is more popular in tier-2 and 3 cities.

The high volume of people stepping out to buy necessities or getting them delivered locally could be due to problems faced with online grocery shopping. Unavailability of goods is the top concern among buyers ordering essentials online (40%), followed by lack of variety as well as unusually long delays in deliveries (32% each).

 22% of users experienced cancellation of their orders, 17% of users received partial deliveries and 16% users faced issues with order policies. While 11% of users witnessed payment issues, 10% of users received low quality.  However, a quarter seems pleased with the experience and claim to have had no problems with their delivery. Bhatia added, "Along with serving new customers, it is imperative to satisfy and retain the existing ones. In such an environment, it is important for brands to win consumers’ trust by understanding their needs and concerns, and then targeting them with the appropriate communication and marketing strategies.” 

 The data is representative of the adult online population in the country.