Man does not live by bread alone, Jesus famously said. But what God proposed, the mighty sarkari babus disposed off so nonchalantly. So it has been only ‘essential items’ available in shops both online and offline, ever since the nationwide lockdown kicked into effect more than a month ago. Yes to rice, atta, pulses and biscuits, but no to anything from liquor to lehenga and laptops.
But wishes being horses, there’s no stopping their galloping. So it’s been with the average Indian cooped up at home, bombarding top e-commerce providers with orders that cannot be fulfilled yet, and requests and comments galore.
Topping the wish list is man’s best (non-living) friend—a mobile phone. And coming up in the sweepstakes are a whole lot of consumer electronics items and assorted goods, ranging from laptops, tablets, even study tables and chargers. With summer heading to a peak, orders for coolers and air-conditioners have also piled up.
“(Beyond) essentials…we are seeing that many customers across India are also searching for products that have become essential items for them and their families during this lockdown period,” Flipkart senior vice president Anil Goteti told THE WEEK. While search and order for work-from-home enablers like mobiles and laptops top the list at all the e-commerce websites, search for safety products like masks and hand sanitisers are the second in the list, followed by home appliances.
PayTM Mall says it got 3.5 lakh requests over the past five weeks of lockdown for non-essential items like mobile phones, laptops and other consumer electronic products, with smartphones topping the ‘wish list’ at 75,000 requests. The company’s data showed it also received two lakh emails and 3.5 lakh requests in the comments section asking for laptops and mobiles, followed by headphones, trimmers and chargers.
Srinivas Mothey, senior vice president of PayTM Mall, argued that the ambit of essential goods need to be increased to include items like laptops, mobile phones and accessories. “India is mostly working from home at the moment but many are finding it difficult as they are running low on certain items necessary to effectively operate. If the lockdown continues, lack of proper technical support would hinder the efficiency of employees which in turn would affect a company’s operations,” he said.
Amit Agarwal, country head of the other leading e-commerce player Amazon, called on the government to allow e-commerce players to deliver all products. “E-commerce offers the safest way to ensure social distancing, saving lives and livelihoods. We urge the government to allow us to deliver all products (not just essentials) that citizens need over a prolonged period so that they can stay safe, while simultaneously jump-starting MSMEs,” he said.
Interestingly, one of the items most searched and requested for, beyond electronic products, has been personal grooming equipment like trimmers--a natural aftermath of hair salons being shut for more than one and a half months by now. Both Flipkart and PayTM Mall report searches in high numbers of this shaving/hair trimming gadget.
All the leading e-commerce players are now bracing for a sale surge once restrictions are eased. “We expect a potential demand surge post the easing of the lockdown,” said Goteti. “This surge is likely to be pronounced in the consumer electronics category.” While data from Amazon was not immediately available, it is also expected to be more or less on similar lines.