Festive shopping gets boost, consumers continue to back online sales: Report

New Delhi: The post-pandemic world will see drastic shifts in buying habits with increased adoption of online shopping, contactless payments, and consumers placing safety over price, range, convenience, a report by KPMG and Retailers’ Association of India (RAI) said on Monday. KPMG and RAI expect shoppers to return to physical stores over the next few months as India hits peak festive season. Retailers should, however, shift focus to in-store safety, converting existing businesses to delivery-oriented ones, apart from tying up with delivery and logistics service providers in order to provide direct-to-home services, the report said.

Going forward, entertainment, physical shopping, dining out could see a surge in demand with gradual opening up of physical marketplaces—especially during the festival season, KPMG-RAI report said.