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First-time customers of online grocers almost double due to Covid-19

Retention of online shoppers too has increased since March 2020

Chennai: Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, online grocers are seeing almost double the number of first-time users compared to pre-Covid times.

BigBasket has seen the number of new customers increase by 84 per cent compared to pre-Covid levels. Their retention rate is also higher by 50 per cent. The number of visits too has gone up by 55 per cent compared to pre-Covid times.

Seshu Kumar Tirumala, National Category Head of BigBasket, said the uptick has been dramatic since March 2020 with an excellent retention rate and basket size.

Similarly, Grofers has reported a 64 per cent increase in first-time online grocery shoppers and 15 per cent more first-time online shoppers. Almost 62 per cent of the customers who came in the first month of the pandemic are still shopping with the platform, it claims.

This is not just a metro phenomenon. Grofers has seen a 54 per cent spurt in orders from smaller cities like Indore, Agra and Panipat.

These first-time customers are driving demand for immunity-boosting foods. According to BigBasket, fruits with a higher Vitamin C content and those increasing immunity and general health saw 2x household penetration growth when compared to regular fruits and vegetables like onions, tomatoes and potatoes.

Grofers too has been seeing a similar trend. Health and ayurvedic products have shown a higher penetration in the Covid months. “We also have observed a pattern where consumers are buying the essentials that they need and are not going after indulgences,” finds Grofers.

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