New Delhi: The lockdown will fundamentally change consumer habits, and even after lifting of the complete restrictions, consumers will restrict movement to essential trips and prefer to stay indoors due to safety reasons and continue to order online and for delivery.
With muted economic sentiment, we expect that customers will move towards more value purchases, Walmart India Best Price CEO Sameer Aggarwal said.
Due to the pandemic, there would be increased awareness around health and hygiene, and demand for related products will increase, he added.
“We also believe trusted brands will stand to gain as customers give more importance to safety standards and sourcing practices,” said Aggarwal, who has been elevated as CEO of Best Price, Walmart India, from 1 April.
Walmart India is a wholly-owned subsidiary of USbased retailing giant Walmart Inc and presently operates 28 Best Price shop under cash & carry format and has two fulfilment centres.
Walmart expects a pent up demand in the short-term, for non-essential categories such as small kitchen and home appliances. Moreover, the retailer also expects an increase in demand from HoReCa (Hotels, Restaurants, and Catering) segment and institutional buyers, as the Centre has now allowed dinein in restaurants under the Unlock 1.0.
“Also, during the lockdown, hotels, restaurants and offices were mostly closed. As these institutions re-open, they will require hygiene products such as masks, sanitisers, cleaning products etc to ensure a safe working environment for their employees,” said Aggarwal, adding “with hotels and restaurants, we see increasing demand in products like disposable cutlery, linen and hygiene kits.”
Aggarwal said “The industry has a critical role to play to ensure a continuous supply of essential items to households. This requires them to open their stores so everyone can be safe at home.”