A PROJECT REPORT ON

“A STUDY ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS ONLINE

SHOPPING DURING COVID IN THANE REGION.”

SUBMITTED TO

UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI FOR PARTIAL COMPLETION OF THE

DEGREE OF

BACHELOR IN COMMERCE (ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE)

UNDER THE FACULTY OF COMMERCE

BY

MS. SAYALI SHANKAR DHUMAL

ROLL NO. 30

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

PROF. PRAVIN KESHAV TIWAD

SATISH PRADHAN DNYANASADHANA COLLEGE, THANE

OFF EASTERN EXPRESS HIGHWAY, DNYANASADHANA MARG,

THANE 400604.

ACADEMIC YEAR

2020- 2021.
 SATISH PRADHAN DNYANASADHANA COLLEGE, THANE

(ARTS, SCIENCE AND COMMERCE)

OFF EASTERN EXPRESS HIGHWAY, DNYANASADHANA MARG,

THANE 400604.

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Ms. Sayali Shankar Dhumal has worked and duly completed her/ his
Project Work for the degree of Bachelor in Commerce (Accounting and Finance) under the
faculty of Commerce in the subject of E-Commerce and her/his project is entitled, “A Study
on Consumer Behaviour Towards Online Shopping During Covid In Thane Region.”
under my supervision.

I further certify that the entire work has been done by the learner under my guidance and
that no part of it has been submitted previously for any Degree or Diploma of any University.

It is his/her own work and facts reported by her/his personal findings and investigations.

Name and Signature of Guiding Teacher

Date of Submission:
 DECLARATION BY LEARNER

I the undersigned Miss. Sayali Shankar Dhumal here by, declare that the work embodied
in this project work titled “A Study on Consumer Behaviour Towards Online Shopping
During Covid In Thane Region.” forms my own contribution to the research work carried
out under the guidance of Prof. Pravin Keshav Tiwad is a result of my own research work
and has not been previously submitted to any other university for any other Degree/Diploma
to this or any other University.

Wherever reference has been made to previous works of others, it has been clearly indicated
as such and included in the bibliography.

I, here by further declare that all information of this document has been obtained and
presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct.

Name and Signature of the learner

Ms. Sayali Shankar Dhumal

Certified by:

Name and Signature of the Guiding Teacher:

 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

To list who all have helped me is difficult because they are so numerous and the depth is so
enormous.

I would like to acknowledge the following as being idealistic channels ad fresh dimensions
in the completion of this project.

I take this opportunity to thank the University of Mumbai for giving me chance to do this
project.

I would like to thank my Principal, Dr. Hement K. Chitte for providing the necessary
facilities required for the completion of this project.

I take this opportunity to thank our Coordinator Dr. Shraddha Mayuresh Bhome for her
moral support and guidance.

I would also like to express my sincere gratitude towards my project guide Prof. Pravin
Keshav Tiwad whose guidance and care made the project successful.

I would like to thank my College Library, for having provided various reference books and
magazines related to my project especially my parents and peers who supported me
throughout my project.

Sayali Shankar Dhumal

 TABLE OF THE CONTENT

CHAPTER TITLE OF THE CHAPTER PAGE

NO. NO.
1. TITAL PAGE

2. CERTIFICATE i

3. DECLARATION BY LEARNER ii

4. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iii

5. INDEX iv-v

6. LIST OF TABLES vi-vii

7. LIST OF ABBREVIATION viii

1. INTRODUCTION 1-27

1.1. Introduction of Customer Behaviour Towards Online

Shopping During Covid.

1.2. Objectives of E-Commerce.

1.3. Advantages of E-Commerce.

1.4. Disadvantages of E-Commerce

1.5. Features of E-Commerce.

1.6. Need of E-Commerce.

1.7. Barriers of E-Commerce.

1.8. E-Commerce and Covid-19 Pandemic.

1.9. Benefit of Covid-19 Pandemic on Amazon.

1.10. Covid-19 Related Challenges on E-Commerce.

1.11.E-Commerce Surge Sales of FMCG Goods in India

During Pandemic Lockdown.

1.12. How Covid-19 Shifted Online Shopping Behaviours and

Attitudes.

1.13. Benefits of E-Commerce During Covid Pandemic.

1.14. Factors Affecting the Online Shopping During Covid

Towards Customers.
1.15. Immediate Impact of Covid-19 On Consumption
Behaviour.
 1.16.E-Commerce Trends Emerging Amid the Covid-19
Pandemic.

2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 28-31

2.1. Introduction

2.2. Objective of The Study

2.3. Hypothesis of The Study

2.4. Scope of The Study

2.5. Limitation of The Study

2.6. Research Methodology

2.6.1. Universe of the Region
2.6.2. Method of Sampling
2.6.3. Sample Size
2.6.4. Method of Data Collection
2.6.4.1. Primary Data
2.6.4.2. Secondary Data

2.7. Method of Data Analysis

3. REVIEW OF LITERATURE 32-39

3.1. Review of Research Papers

3.2. Review of Books

3.3. Review of Thesis

4. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA 40-57

5. FINDINGS AND CONCLOSION 58-60

5.1. Findings

5.2. Conclusion

Suggestion 61

BIBLOGRAPHY 62

ANEXURE
 LIST OF CHARTS AND DIAGRAMS

Sr. No. Particular Page No.

1. Table 4.1. Age Group of the Respondents. 42

2. Table 4.2. Gender of the Respondents. 43

3. Table 4.3. Education Qualification. 44

4. Table 4.4. Occupation Wise Classification. 45

5. Table 4.5. Shows Awareness among the Respondents 46

about E-Commerce.

6. Table 4.6. Shows Respondents Behaviour of Purchased 47

Goods Before Lockdown.

7. Table 4.7. Shows Respondents Behaviour of Ordered 48

Goods During Lockdown.

8. Table 4.8. Shows Respondents Behaviour of Buying 49

Goods Online Rather than Retail shops.

9. Table 4.9. Shows the Respondents Thinking of the E- 50

Commerce Role is Important in the Lockdown Period.

10. Table 4.10. Shows the How Corona Virus Affection to the 51
Consumers Online Shopping.

11. Table 4.11. Shows the Different Types of Products That 52

Consumers Bought Online in the Lockdown.

12. Table 4.12. Shows the Covid-19 Pandemic Increased 53

Frequency of Online Shopping.

13. Table 4.13. Shows the Online Shopping is Comfortable 54

than Physical shopping During Covid-19 Lockdown.

14. Table 4.14. Shows the Respondents Satisfaction About the 55

Online Shopping Rather Than Physical Shopping.

15. Table 4.15. Shows the Respondents Suggestions of Best 56

Platforms for Online shopping During Covid-19
Lockdown.

16. Table 4.16. Shows the respondents Expectations of Online 57

Spending on Items Besides Groceries to Change After the
End of Covid-19 Lockdown.
 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

Sr. No Abbreviation Full Form

1. E-Commerce Electronic Commerce

2. EDI Electronic Data Interchange

3. ATM Automated Teller Machine

4. DSL Digital Subscriber Line

5. B2B Business-to-Business

6. B2C Business-to-Consumer

7. C2C Consumer-to-Consumer

8. E-Governance Electronic Governance

10. WWW World Wide Web

11. FTU First Time Users

12. FMCG Fast Moving Consumer Goods

13. E-Grocers Electronic Grocers

14. WTO World Trade Organisation

15. PPE Personal Protection Equipment

16. GDP Gross Domestic Product

17. DTC Direct To Consumers

18. BOPIS Buy Online Pick up In Stores

 CHAPTER: 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1.Introduction of Consumer Behavior Towards Online Shopping During COVID :
E-COMMERCE :
The history of E-Commerce begins with the invention of the telephone at the end of last
century. EDI ( Electronic Data Interchange) is widely viewed as the beginning of e-
commerce if we consider e-commerce as the networking of business communities and
digitalization of business information. Large organizations have been investing in
development of EDI since sixties. It has not gained reasonable acceptance until eighties. The
meaning of electronic commerce has changes over the 1st 30 years. Originally, electronic
commerce meant the facilitation of commercial transactions electronically, using technology
such as Electronic Data Interchange and Electronic Funds Transfer. These were both
introduced in the late 1970’s, allowing businesses to send commercial documents like
purchase orders or invoices electronically. The growth and acceptance of credit cards,
Automated Teller Machines (ATM) and telephone banking in the 1980’s were also form of
e-commerce was the airline and railway reservation system. Online shopping, an important
component of electronic commerce was invented by Michael Aldrich in the UK in 1979. The
world’s first recorded business to business was Thomson holidays in 1981. The first recorded
business to consumer was Gateshead SIS/Tesco in 1984. During the 1980’s , online shopping
was also used extensively in the UK by auto manufacturers such as ford, general motors and
Nissan. The system used to switch public telephone network in dial-up and leased line
modes.

Although the internet became popular worldwide around 1994 when the first internet
online shopping started, it took about five years to introduce security protocols and DSL
allowing continual connection to the internet. By the end of 2000, many European and
American business companies offered their services through the world wide web. Since, then
people began to associate a word “E-Commerce” with the ability of purchasing various
goods through the internet using secure protocols and electronic payment services. E-
Commerce includes buying and selling or raw material, products, services or any kind of
goods and services through an electronic medium (internet) by the consumer, retailer and
business. Whereas e -commerce retail is the exchange of goods and services between an
online retail company and consumers, the e-commerce transaction can be of different types
such as Business to Business B2B, Business to Consumer B2C, Consumer to Consumer
C2C.
BUSINESS-TO- BUSINESS MODEL :
This is said to be the fastest growing sector of E-Commerce. The B2B model is predicted
to become the largest value sector of the industry within few years. The B2B model involves
electronic transactions for ordering, purchasing, as well as other administrative tasks
between houses. It includes trading goods, such a business subscriptions, professional
services, manufacturing, and wholesale dealings, sometimes in the b2b model, business my
exit between virtual companies, neither of which may have any physical existence. In such
cases, business is conducted only through the internet. The main two advantages of the B2B
model such as it can efficiently maintain the movement of the supply chain and the
manufacturing and procuring processes, and it can automate corporate processes to deliver
the right products and services quickly and most effectively.

BUSINESS-TO-CONSUMER MODEL :

The B2C model involves transactions between business organization and consumers. It
applies to any business organization that sells its products or services to consumers over the
internet. This beside display product information in an online CatLog and store it in a
database. The B2B model also includes services online banking, travel services and health
information. The B2C model of e-commerce is more prone to the security threats because
individual consumer provides their credit card and personal information in the site of a
business organization. In addition, the consumer might doubt that his information is secured
and used effectively by the business organization. This the main reason why the B2C model
is very widely accepted. Therefore, it becomes very essential for the business organization
to provide security mechanism that can guarantee a consumer for securing business
information.

CONSUMER-TO-CONSUMER MODEL :

The C2C model involves a transaction that is conducted between a consumer and a
business organization. It is similar to B2C model; however, the difference is that in this case
the consumer is the seller and the business organization is the buyer, in this kind of a
transaction, the consumer decides the price pf a particular product rather than the supplier.
This category includes individual who sell products and services to organization. In addition,
to the models discussed so far, five new models are being worked on that involve transactions
between the government and other entities, such as consumer, business organization, and
other governments. All these transactions that involve government as one entity are called
E-Governance.
1.2. Objectives of e-commerce :
1.2.1 Development of business relationship :

The business development can be done through the E-Commerce being the primary and
the basic object. As their direct contact between the company and the consumer, their
business relationship will be enhanced. Hence, the area of the market can be increased.

1.2.2 Better – customer service :

As it is done round the clock, the customer will always have online help regarding the
products. As all the information is furnished to the customer, it becomes easy to him to
choose the best product among all other alternatives. As even the service can also be done
through the net immediately, the customer service will be ballooned. By highlighting the
customer service, the companies are trying to subjugate a lion share in the market.

1.2.3 Getting more customers :

In these days it becomes the mandate of the companies to double its customers, and this
can be done by rendering the value-add service and maintaining the quality. Hence, it is also
one of the primary objectives of the companies which supply impetus for the robust growth
is sales and overall profit.

1.3. Advantages of E-Commerce :

1.3.1 E-commerce saves time for customer-

Online shopping speed up receiving a desired product and saves customers time and
efforts. Imagine you need a particular product if you choose to purchase it online, using only
a laptop and a credit card, you spend no time reaching the brick-and-mortar store. Moreover,
instead of walking from store to store looking for an item, you can immediately check
whether its available at the store or not.
1.3.2 Detailed product :

What amount of information about an item can a physical store provide customers with?
Definitely not much. Customers decide whether to buy a product or not based on packaging
and brief description provided by the producer. But shopping online, you get a more detailed
product description with macro photos, tutorials, unboxing videos and the list of many
related products. Moreover, online shopping is a perfect opportunity to red product reviews
written by other customers. All the information makes a great contribution to a more
conscious “to buy or not to buy” decision.

1.3.3 Personalize the shopping experience :

Running a brick-and-mortar store, you cannot make all your products or store pleasing
every eye. A digital store, however, offers much more extensive personalization capabilities
a wonderful commerce advantage for creative marketing specialties.
With the help of cookies, you can collect the information about a customer and then get
a clear understanding of who they are; gender, age, interests, what kinds of advertisements
they better respond to a much more. Using this data, you can configure the store to
automatically offer customer the products they are most likely to be interested in. the product
will be similar to those they have already purchased or from their Wishlist. You can also
customize the store design and a welcome message.

1.3.4 You can retarget the customer :

Retargeting is an advertisement technology that shows the product ads on web pages that
the customer viewed at your online store before. It helps to unobtrusively remind customers
of the product they used to like and perhaps still desire, urging them to come back to your
store and reconsider. There is no doubt that it is one of the greatest e-commerce benefits.

1.3.5 Retail with no geographical or time limits :

While in e-commerce, you have no limits in what countries to sell, everything depends
on your intentions and resources. Running an online store, you can extend your market and
customer base without renting an extra office somewhere.an thanks to improved logistics
and delivery technologies, worldwide shipping will be a mission possible.
1.3.6 Lower cost of store maintenance :

Running a brick-and-mortar store is a rather expensive activity. Just think about the cost
that you will have to bear. Rent of the facility, the utility bills, insurance, warehouse
maintenance and salary for your staff. On top of that, you should keep in mind a high number
of operational costs like repair service bills, employee training, advertising costs and so on.
With an e-commerce website, you do not need to pay for a physical location. You also will
require fewer staff members; if your store is small, you can even run it yourself.

1.3.7. More affordable and effective marketing :

Promoting a physical store, you use a set of traditional marketing practices. They include
means of communication like print, radio, tv commercials, direct mail and telephone.
Traditional marketing means and strategies used to be effective in a time when there were
no advanced digital technologies. At the moment, these types of product promotion offer
little interaction with the audience and yield poor conversion ratio.

1.3.8 Automation minimizes human error :

The majority of store operations are integrated into your e-commerce platform and set up
to perform automatically. It is really great as it diminishes the probability of a mistake like
a misplaced order or an incorrectly charged bill. Moreover, there are no consultants at an
online store. And there is a something good about it as they won’t confuse or downright your
customers creating a negative reputation. We do not recommend leaving your customers
completely unsupported. But e-commerce has a solution create FAQ page and use virtual
assistance.

1.3.9 Ability to handle multiple purchases :

How many customers can a store serve at the sometime? Three on average, maximum
five. There is no limit on the number of orders that can be placed, processed and paid
simultaneously at an online store. What is more, customers don’t need to wait in a queue to
make their purchase, which is a great e-commerce advantage for impatient people.
1.4. DISADVANTAGES OF E-COMMERCE :
1.4.1 Uncertainty about the product quality :

Online stores provide detailed product description but customers at any way cannot see
or fell the item before purchasing. As a result, they cannot make sure whether the description
lies or not. Here the main role plays the store reputation and positive reviews in customers
decision. However, many customers may remain unconvinced and opt against making a
risky purchase. If a customer receives a product that doesn’t meet the expectation, it totally
ruins shopping experience and appears to be among the top disadvantages of e-business.

1.4.2 Waiting for a product to be delivered :

Shipping is a headache for both store owners and customers. When you decide running
an e-commerce business. You need to devise the delivery logistics, find the carriers, make
sure that the products will be delivered correctly and on time and deal with all sorts of delays
and complications. But the payment for a product you get only when it is delivered, which
is a discouraging factor. In the worst scenario, the purchase might never be delivered, either
lost in the mail or sent to the wrong address. These complications pose a significant
disadvantage of E-Commerce.

1.4.3 Some items are hard to purchase online :

You can’t deny that almost all kinds of products can be sold online. However, there are
certain limits of e-commerce capabilities products which are difficult to select correctly or
make sure they will suit you. Among such products re high-heels, prom dresses, some other
types of clothing, luxury items and others. The most progressive retailers successfully
implement augmented reality technologies to their webstores. But this is still a very rare
practice. Another types of products which are un popular in online retail are the ones that
need a related service to a company their purchase, like a roof luggage rack for a car.

1.4.4 Complex taxation guidelines :

As a store owner, you may be most willing to sell your products worldwide. However, it
means you need to comply with the taxation guidelines adopted in each country where you
aim to deliver. Apart from the effort to study them all and make sure you can comply with
them you will need to deal with the questions of cost-effectiveness for your enterprise . it
should become one of your most important considerations among e-commerce advantages
and disadvantages.
1.4.5 Compulsory registration :
Sometimes a customer needs to register at the website to complete an order. And the
problem here is that many people do not want to register. Due to the increased frequency of
hacker attacks, it is understandable why some customers are reluctant to submit their name,
last name, address, email address and other private data to an online store. Also, there are
those who make purchase in a hurry and do not want to spend time for a rather lengthy
process of registration.

1.5. FEATURES OF E-COMMERCE :

1.5.1 E-commerce is technology enabled :

Traditional commerce is taking place since times immemorial but e-commerce is result
of integration of digital technology with business processes and commercial transaction. The
technological foundations of e-commerce are internet, WWW and various protocols.

1.5.2. Technology mediated :

In e-commerce buyers and sellers meet in cyber space rather than physical place. Hence,
e-commerce does not involve face to face contact.

1.5.3. Universality :
Buying and selling take place through websites in e-commerce. The websites can be
accessed from anywhere around the globe at any time therefore it possesses the feature of
university.

1.5.4. Intercommunications :
E-Commerce technology ensures two-way communications between buyer and seller. On
one hand by using e-commerce firms can communicate with customers through e-commerce
enabled websites. On the other end, customers can also fill order forms, feedback forms and
can communicate with business operating firms.

1.5.5. Delivery of information :

E-Commerce serves as the best channel of communication. E-commerce technologies
ensure speedy delivery of information at very low cost and considerably increase
information density as well.
1.5.6. Electronic completion business processes :
By using e-commerce, we can perform business transactions like accounting and
inventory through computers at global level.

1.5.7. Virtual communities :

Virtual communities are online communities created by means such as chat rooms and
specifically designed sites like, where people can interest using the internet.

1.5.8. Inter-disciplinary in nature :

Implementation of e-commerce needs a lot of knowledge of managerial, technological,
social and legal issues. Besides this, understanding of consumer behavior, marketing tools
and financial aspects is as crucial as designing interactive e-commerce websites.

1.5.9. Customization :
With the use of e-commerce technology, the world is moving from mass-production to
mass-customization. Product customization ensures that goods are tailor made as per the
requirements and preferences of customers.

1.6. NEED OF E-COMMERCE :

1.6.1. Wider audience :

The internet provides businesses, access to millions and millions of people. A 2010
survey by internet world stats showed there are 266,244,500 internet users in north America.
On the world wide web, companies move beyond geographic limits to reach wider audience.

1.6.2. Cost efficiency :

At the beginning of the internet age in the 1990’s, creating websites was a costly
undertaking. As the years passed, building websites became less and less expensive. In fact,
small businesses can now build their own sites.

1.6.3. Faster information :

The information superhighway permits speedy exchange of data across the world, which
also means new information, is available faster.
1.6.4. Enhanced service :
Development of e-commerce equipped domestic providers to offer more services to
clients.

1.7. BARRIERS OF E-COMMERCE :

The drivers of e-commerce were identified and summarized there are barriers to the
growth and development of e-commerce.

1.7.1. Commercial Infrastructure :

Relates to issues such as international trade agreements, taxation laws and other legal
agreements that facilitates all kinds of online trading and so is a barrier relevant to all types
of business.

1.7.2. Technology Infrastructure :

Deals with issues of standardization of system and application, which is a particular
concern for larger organization who want to implement solutions such as value integration
and e-supply chain management.

1.7.3. Internet Infrastructure :

Deals with issues such as availability and quality of the internet in terms of speed and
reliability. This barrier is of particular concern to business to consumer organizations, since
their business relies more on general consumers, and so the ease with which the general
public can connect to the internet has a direct impact on their web-based business.

1.7.4. Security :
In its broadest term is one of the most significant barriers to e-commerce both within the
organization and external to it. Identified as security and encryption; trust and risk; user
authentication and lack of public key infrastructure; fund and risk of loss it relates to
development of a broader security infrastructure and it also relates to the kinds of measures
barriers to e-commerce businesses can take to improve security.

1.7.5. Interoperability of System :

This is identified as one of the major barriers for large us-based business to business
corporations. This refers specifically to implementation and compatibility problems of
integrating new e-commerce application with existing legacy systems and resources within
organization. This problem also extends to interacting with systems of business partners and
stakeholders.

1.7.6. Lack of Qualified Personnel :

This is a particularly strong concern because internally they do not have sufficient
resources to attract and maintain their own support staff to develop a sophisticated
technology infrastructure. With regards to third parties, the qualified personnel tended to
work for larger organization.

1.8. E-COMMERCE AND COVID-19 PANDEMIC

With the emergence of globalization and digitization, people, palaces and products have
started coming close, approachable as well as affordable. Life was very fast, as everything
from toilet roll to airplane ticket was just one click away. All the business plans, meetings,
trips came to halt with the introduction of covid-19 to the globe. The situation of the covid-
19 outbreak, made people think, dynamically and timely diagnosis of how families have
adjusted their spending’s and online shopping, and what are the characteristics of the
households who have responded the fastest and strongest.
The worldwide spread of the covid-19 pandemic has disrupted how people buy products
and services and how they perceive e-commerce. The standardized lockdown rules across
India and the growing hesitation among consumer to go outside and shop for essential goods
have titled the nation towards e-commerce. Consumers have switched from shops,
supermarkets, and shopping malls to online portals for the purchase of products, ranging
from basic commodities to branded goods. Since the norm of social distancing has been
initiated for almost entirely of 2020, the scope of online purchase and online businesses is
expected to surge. Many people are embracing the concept of online retail and the surge
FTU’s (first time users) on e-commerce sites is visible.
Shopping behavior amongst Indian consumers has evolved during the ongoing covid-19
pandemic. During the early stages, a large number of Indian consumers were either in
containment zones or there were limited options available for making their necessary and
discretionary purchases. This led to consumers trying new channels, products and brands,
which in turns has resulted in change to consumers shopping habits and their path to
purchase.
Consumers have shifted to online shopping channels during covid-19-
• 42% of Indian urban active internet users are shopping online during the covid-19 ,
with nearly half of those being first-time online shoppers
• 46% of these new to online shoppers live in tier-1 and 2 cities.
Amazon is a popular destination for consumers for online shopping –

Many of the Indian shoppers surveyed prefer to research products online before making
online or offline purchases. Amazon has emerged as one popular destination for for product
purchasing at online.

amazon.com

New to amazon shoppers except to continue using online channels-

New to amazon shoppers reporting being highly satisfied with their purchase experience,
and a majority continue to be favorably predisposed to shopping on amazon in the future.
• 82% of new to amazon shops stated that they are likely to continue shopping on
amazon long term.
• Categories these shoppers are likely to buy over the next 6-8 months included: apparel
& fashion, mobile & accessories, personal care & beauty, household & grocery, home
appliances & décor, and consumer electronics.

Indian shoppers are increasing using online channels in their shopping journeys, and
many are using amazon to research and discover before making a purchase either in an online
or offline store. Brands have an opportunity to think about how they can engage and cultivate
relationships with these shoppers early in their purchase journey to help cultivate them into
brand loyalties.
1.9. Benefit of COVID-19 19 pandemic on amazon
Amazon remains one of the few companies to benefit from the corona virus pandemic,
with surging online sales helping it to report record profits in July.
It didn’t get there without navigating a slew of challenges, including a labor crisis that
drew public scrutiny from lawmakers, regulators and workers right groups. Amazon’s supply
chain was hit hard, resulting in delivery delays and out-of-stock notices.

1.10. Covid-19 related challenges on e-commerce:

1.10.1. Consumer protection-

Online consumer protection is one of the challenges that the covid-19 pandemic has
highlighted. There have been reports of fraudulent and deceptive practices, with some online
sellers offering fake or unsafe hand sanitizer, surgical face mask or disinfectant for sale, and
sale of price gouging practices by certain manufactures and retailers seeking to cash in and
profit from the surge in demand.

1.10.2. Compliance with health and safety regulations -

The increases number of small packages ordered directly to consumers has raised
challenges with regard to compliance with health and safety regulations in importing
countries, as well as with regard to protecting for the health of the workers involved in
handling and inspecting the goods. In part, the reason for the latter challenges is that
regulatory agencies and other authorities responsible for assessing product conformity with
such regulations are not necessarily equipped to inspect large volumes of small packages
entering, for example, through postal or courier services.

1.10.3. The development dimension –

The pandemic has highlighted the crucial importance of the digital economy and the
urgent need to bridge the digital divide both within and across countries. The pandemic has
accentuated existing questions about the extent to which small producer, sellers and
consumers in developing countries, particularly, in LCD’s can benefit from the opportunities
that e-commerce provides. Many traditional obstacles have become even more obstructive
in the context of the covid-19 pandemic. These includes access to online payments
solutions., reliable internet and electricity connections, the prohibitive costs of trading across
borders, visibility in online searches, advertising and sales platforms, and the difficulties in
gaining consumer trust.
m.economicstimes.com
1.11. Ecommerce surge sales of FMCG goods in India during pandemic
lockdown:
As consumers are scared to go out from their home because of the fear virus. Even 2-3
weeks earlier before the lockdown, there was a huge demand for FMCG goods, sanitizers,
etc. According to the FMCG companies, there was a sudden jump in demand around 15-
45% according to the category. Products such as rice, atta, pulses, edible oil, sugar, biscuit,
tea, instant noodle, frozen food, soaps, hand washes, and floor cleaners are flying off the
shelves from almost every state of India. Even small, medium Kirana shops are going
towards the online selling due to huge demand, and they are doing it by creating their own
website or joining a different platform like Amazon, Flipkart, Grocers and other e-commerce
industry to increase the sales and fulfil the demand of the customers.

E-Grocers:
Like Big basket Amazon says that their sales are up by 100% and there is more jump in
the sales of staples, biscuits, frozen soaps and handwashes. FMCG industry trying to speed
up the supplies of the goods, so that there should be no shortage of goods. Panic buying of
FMCG goods also took place and everyone started buying goods in huge quantities to store
the goods for more than a month. Due to this, it becomes very difficult for the FMCG
companies to complete the demand of the consumer. Because orders were coming from both
sides Kirana shops which are offline and online grocers. Some FMCG companies like ITC
Ltd, Parle Products, Amul and Godrej Consumer were going out of stock from the stores and
most of the goods doesn’t last for even a week said by the RS Sodhi (Amul managing
director)

Shortage of delivery persons:

Because of the huge online demand for FMCG goods. Online Grocers like Big basket,
Natures Basket were going out of delivery guys due to the surge in demand and because of
that, these companies were given 2 weeks or sometimes 3 weeks ahead of dates from the
time they put on delivery option. Those people who haven’t used any type of online shopping
platforms were also signing up and putting orders.

People are getting used to E-Grocer’s platform:

In the time of pandemic lockdown, everyone is trying to buy essential goods online. Even
new customers are coming on this platform to buy their goods online. So, those customers
who haven’t tried these platforms before they are giving it a call and ordering their essential
goods online. It’s been almost more than 3 months of lockdown and constantly increasing in
the covid19 cases after the ease of the lockdown, still, there is a huge demand for essential
goods. But some of the restrictions also put by the online companies to avoid panic buying
like, customers can’t order lays chips packet more than 2 or customer can’t add more 10 kg
of flour. Even after an ease in the lockdown companies are not getting enough workforce to
work efficiently to fulfil the demand of the customers. Amazon, big basket starts hiring
delivery guys temporarily to complete the demand of the customers but still, the customer
has to wait for more than a week just to its essential items which are a lot of time than it
takes it usually. Jio has also stepped into this industry during the pandemic lockdown and
start its services on 27,4,2020 to take it as the opportunity and get the permanent base
customers. Reliance saw the huge demand in this pandemic lockdown of FMCG goods and
after this consumer buying behaviour towards e-commerce is totally going to be different
due to this covid-19 pandemic lockdown. So, every kirana which is offline they have to go
digital by creating their online website or joining hands with the existing e-commerce
industry. This report will give the bigger picture that what consumer behaviour would be
after the pandemic lockdown and how fast steadily shift consumer from offline retail to
online ecommerce and what will be the future of the e-commerce industry in India and how
ecommerce industry starts gaining the trust of new as well as existing customers.

1.12. How covid-19 shifted online shopping behaviors and attitude:

According to the world trade organization (WTO), the current coronavirus pandemic and
the resulting lockdowns and social distancing measures have had a significant impact on
shopping behaviors. As a result, some B2C, as well as B2B businesses, have seen a
significant uptick in sales and e-commerce activity. The covid-19 commerce insight
webpage is a great source of information on the effect of the pandemic on e-commerce
business. Data comparisons per region show year to year increases in online sales of over
100% in some cases. The data includes retailers who mainly trade in physical stores as well
as merchants who are strictly based online. Of course, an increase in online sales is to be
expected when people can’t buy them in person. So. While some online sales have
skyrocketed, this trend isn’t evenly distributed across all e-commerce sectors.
Many urban consumers, increasingly working from home and reluctant to deal with
crowded public places, are moving online for their shopping needs. If demonetization
compelled people to shift toward cashless payments, covid-19 has made them adopt online
shopping. There has been more than 10 per cent growth in online shopping across categories
during pandemic globally, according to Mckinsey, and it is expected that consumers will
continue with this practice even if brick-and-mortar stores reopen. Globally, one in five
consumers who ordered their last groceries online did so for the first time. These days, people
are buying larger pack-size products or multiple units at one. Falling incomes coupled with
low optimization about the economy is making Indian consumers spend more on essentials,
such as grocery and household supplies, and cutting back on categories like apparel,
footwear, and travel. Apart from groceries and household supplies, Indians continue to spend
on entertainment at home ( from TV to streaming websites.) the shift towards remote
learning and aiding personal fitness and wellness through online resources is expected to
accelerate. “ consumers are caring for themselves using virtual tools.
“ Some of the consumers behavior shifts include- rise in self-reliant ‘ do it yourself values,
increases use of ‘super apps’ for shopping due to convenience, etc. it’s difficult to be sure of
the degree to which consumer behavior will permanently change.

1.13. BENEFITS OF E-COMMERCE DURING COVID PANDEMIC :

1.13.1. LOWER PRICES :

The lower costs of running an e-commerce store versus a physical store translate to cost
savings for the consumer. This is one of the biggest e-commerce advantages. Online prices
are typically lower than traditional store prices, and e-commerce sites are able to offer more
discounts and promotions that are easier to claim.

1.13.2. CONVINIENT AN D SAFE :

Shopping when you want from where you want is far preferable than heading out in this
COVID-19 reality we are now living in. coronavirus aside, there’s also something to be said
about shopping from your bedroom, without having venture out, wait in lines, battle cold
weather, and all the other challenges that go along with consumerism.

1.13.3. WIDE PRODUCT VARIETY :

In the global marketplace that is the internet, consumers can buy electronics from china,
books from England, clothes form Paris , and good old us products all from the comfort of
home. The width and depth of products sold online are unbeatable.
1.13.4. MORE INFORMED DECISION MAKING :
Information is literally at your fingertips when buying online, including ;
• Reviews from real customer this is probably the most effective
• product descriptions
• Usage videos
• Product guides
• Social validation
Comparison shopping is another one of the top benefits of e-commerce to consumers,
who can easily compare products, brands, and websites with even side by side comparison
shopping sites exits with the many comparison-shopping sites exits with the sole purposes
of enabling consumers to compare products side by side based on price and discount metrics.

1.13.5. SAVES TIME :

In an age where time is a rare commodity, shopping online provides massive time savings
to the consumer. Since 63% of consumers start their shopping journey online, it makes sense
to be able to buy where you already are.
No need to head out, shop in store, wait in line, and then journey back home when you
can access a greater product variety at a lower price from the comfort of home.

1.14. THE FACRORS AFFECTING THE ONLINE SHOPPING

DURING COVID TOWARDS CONSUMERS :
Consumer are more likely to continue shopping online because of,

1.14.1. New shopping habits:

Due to quarantine, people’s way of buying items has changed. The situation has persisted
long enough for these patterns to become ingrained. Certainly, when stores open customers
will venture out more. However, this doesn’t mean they will suddenly stop the fairly
addictive and comforting feeling of shopping online.

1.14.2. Covid-19 fears aren’t going to disappear overnight :

Even when the quarantine ends, peoples will be cautions and many will still prefer
shopping from the safety of their homes.
1.14.3 The rapid growth of mobile devices is making it easier than ever to browse and
shop online :

Customers can place orders one handed rom the device that is likely in their hand or
pocket at all times.

1.14.4. Even as some items became scarce in physical stores there were options for
ordering online :
Things like toilet paper that because nonexistent in brick-and-mortar stores could be
ordered or pre-ordered online.

1.15. How Myntra rode the covid-19 storm

• Myntra realised that the way people are working from home and spending time in front of
their computers, there is a need for lounge wear and leisure wear

•Myntra quickly brought in its partner fashion brands and started making masks and
personal protective gears

Indiaretailing.com

When the nation went under a lockdown on 25 March, fashion and lifestyle brand Myntra
had no clue what impact the lockdown will bring to their business. And with the focus on
essentials, Myntra quickly realised that it did not have much of a role to play in the lockdown.
But Amar Nagaram, Myntra’s chief executive officer, was constantly asked by his team what
Myntra can do in such challenging times. Following are the conversation of CEO and his
team:
 “To be honest, we thought of launching grocery delivery on Myntra but then realised our
friends at Big Basket and Flipkart are doing a much better job of it and decided not to get
into it," said Nagaram on Mint’s webinar on 'Pivot or Perish' on Thursday.
But then an opportunity opened up. “We realised that if our own employees are finding
it hard to get masks and protective gears, what about the consumer?" he says.
So Myntra quickly brought in its partner fashion brands and started making masks and
personal protective gears.
"We realised that more than ever before, the consumer centric thought process has to be
prevalent," said Nagaram, adding that e-commerce came with a set of apprehensions
specially in the fashion segment where most of Myntra’s consumer base was not comfortable
with finding a different trend or style or brands as it comes with size issues.
“Now those apprehensions got overshadowed by health and safety concerns and this is
the time where we needed to step up our game and augment some of the behaviour that was
being demonstrated in the offline space," said Nagaram.
So, when Myntra realised that the way people are working from home and spending time
in front of their computers, there is a need for lounge wear and leisure wear. “We reached
out to our partners who gave us work from home essentials and fashion essentials and we
stayed relevant for the customer."
To keep their customers further engaged, the company also began pushing content online,
on how to stay fit at home and DIYs (do-it-yourself) videos on a range of issues. This
increased engagement and the traffic on Myntra’s website went back to its pre-covid-19
days.
This chaos covid-19 brought, Myntra said it turned into an opportunity to stay relevant
and know what consumers expect from the brand.
And now with the lockdown lifted up in many cities, Myntra has resumed operations.
And Nagaram says it is a happy feeling to be busy again.

1.16. Immediate impact of covid-19 on consumption behavior :

1.16.1. Hoarding:

Consumers are stockpiling essential products for daily consumption resulting in

temporary stockouts and shortages. This includes toilet paper, bread, water, meat,
disinfecting and cleaning products. Hoarding is a common reaction to managing the
uncertainty of the future supply of products for basic needs. Hoarding is a common practice
when a country goes through hyperinflation as it is happening in Venezuela. In addition to
hoarding, there is also emergence of the Gray market where unauthorized middlemen hoard
the product and increase the prices. This has happened with respect to PPE (personal
protection equipment) products for healthcare workers including the N95 masks. Finally, the
temporary extra demand created by hoarding, also encourages marketing of counterfeit
products. We have not done enough empirical research on the economic and the psychology
of hoarding in consumer behaviour.

1.16.2. Improvisation:

Consumers learn to improvise when there are constraints. In the process, existing habits
are discarded and new ways to consume are invented. The coronavirus unleashed the
creativity and resilience of consumers for such tradition bound activities as weddings and
funeral services. Sidewalk weddings and Zoom funeral services substitute for the traditional
location centric events. This was also true for church services especially on Easter Sunday.
Improvisation to manage shortage of products or services is another area of future research.
It leads to innovative practices and often leads to alternative option to location centric
consumption such as telehealth and online education. Once again, there is no systemic
empirical or scientific research on improvisation. The closest research is on improvisation is
Jugaad in India. It means developing solutions that work by overcoming constraints imposed
by social norms or government policy. Jugaad also means doing more with less, seeking
opportunity in adversity and thinking and acting flexibly and following the heart.

1.16.3. Pent-up Demand:

During times of crisis and uncertainty the general tendency is to postpone purchase and
consumption of discretionary products or services. Often, this is associated with large ticket
durable goods such as automobiles, homes, and appliances. It also includes such
discretionary services as concerts, sports, bars, and restaurants. This results in shift of
demand from now into the future. Pent up demand is a familiar consequence when access to
market is denied for a short period of time for services such as parks and recreation, movies,
and entertainment. While economists have studied impact of pent-up demand on the GDP
growth, there is very little research in consumer behaviour about the nature and scope of
pent-up demand.

1.16.4 Embracing Digital Technology:

Out of sheer necessity, consumers have adopted several new technologies and their
applications. The obvious example is Zoom video services. Just to keep up with family and
friends, most households with the internet have learned to participate in Zoom meetings. Of
course, it has been extended to remote classes at home for schools and colleges and to
telehealth for virtual visits with the physician and other health care providers. Most
consumers like social media including Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, WeChat, LinkedIn,
and others. The internet is both a rich medium and has global reach. The largest nations in
population are no longer China and India. They are Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp.
Each one has more than a billion subscribers and users. This has dramatically changed the
nature and scope of word-of-mouth advices and recommendations as well as sharing
information. One of the fastest growing areas is influencer marketers. Many of them have
millions of followers. Impact of digital technology in general and social media in particular
on consumer behaviour is massive in scale and pervasive in consumer’s daily life. It will be
interesting to see if technology adoption will break the old habits. While we have studied
diffusion of innovation for telephones, television, and the internet, we have not experienced
a global adoption of social media in highly compressed cycle.

1.16.5. Store Comes Home:

Due to complete lockdown in countries like India, South Korea, China, Italy, and other
nations, consumers are unable to go to the grocery store or the shopping canters. Instead, the
store comes home. So does work and education. This reverses the flow for work, education,
health and purchasing and consumption. In home delivery of everything including streaming
services such as Disney, Netflix, and Amazon Prime is breaking the odd habits of physically
going to brick and mortar places. It is also enhancing convenience and personalization in
consumer behaviour. What we need is to empirically study how “In-home everything”
impacts consumer’s impulse buying and planned vs unplanned consumption. Blurring of
Work-Life Boundaries. Consumers are prisoners at home with limited space and too many
discrete activities such as working, learning, shopping, and socialization. This is analogous
to too many needs and wants with limited resources. Consequently, there is blurring of
boundaries between work and home and between tasks and chats. Some sort of schedule and
compartmentalization are necessary to make home more efficient and effective.

1.16.6. Reunions with Friends and Family:

One major impact of the coronavirus is to get in touch with distant friends and family,
partly to assure that they are okay but partly to share stories and experience. This resembles
high school or college reunions or family weddings. What is ad hoc event to keep in touch
is now regular and scheduled get togethers to share information and experiences.
Symbolically, we are all sitting on our porch and talking to our neighbours globally. The
global reach of the social get togethers through social media such as Zoom and WhatsApp
is mind boggling. We need to study sociological and cultural assimilations of consumption
practices. Similar to the classic studies such as we should expect dramatic changes in
consumer behaviour as a consequence of speedier and universal adoption of new
technologies accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
1.16.7. Discovery of Talent:

With more flexible time at home, consumers have experimented with recipes, practiced
their talent and performed creative and new ways to play music, share learning, and shop
online more creatively. With some of them going viral, consumers are becoming producers
with commercial possibilities. YouTube and its counterparts are full of videos which have
the potential for innovation and commercial successes.
The consumers were offered with variety of choices on various platforms for buying the
essential items and the essential goods can broadly divided into four categories: 1) Groceries
2) Readymade food Products 3) Personal Care and 4) Health and Hygiene Products. The
various online platforms for buying available for essential goods are Gofers, Amazon fresh,
Big Basket, Reliance Fresh, Med Life, Pharm Easy, Net Meds etc. The various online
platforms came with variety of schemes to ensure the consumer buying through digital
platforms. The Amul industry stated that the demand for the packed food items was increased
during the lockdown and their E commerce sale was more than doubled during the lockdown.

The farm to fork model came into existence by becoming successful in the lockdown as
farmers groups were getting fresh vegetables to the doorstep of consumer and selling through
online platforms as well. Zomato the readymade food delivery E commerce platforms made
the grocery services live across more than 80 countries in India. One of the online groceries
selling platform Gofers introduced the “Society Group Orders”, a service through which it
has partnered with RWA ‘s across leading metro cities to make the essentials available to
more consumers. Business to Business model of start-up Jumbo tail initiated with a service
of picking up the stocks available from the distributors of FMCG companies and started
delivering to the local Kirana Stores. The wholesale Retailer D-Mart which has over 200
stores across the country has launched a service of “Store on Wheels” a model which will
make available their essential grocery items to consumers though trucks to the residential
societies. The Marico. A FMCG Firm has partnered with Swingy and Zomato for essential
185 products to be home delivered. The Marico personal care products and health and
hygiene products were also available through online platforms. The pandemic has brought
lots of challenges, issues and problems but there is need for cocreation with more agile and
versatile approach of producers and consumers in the economy. The consumer buying
behaviour is attached with their sentiments in regards to their optimistic nature and their
needs towards digital experience may take a boom in the pandemic phase. The consumer ‘s
attitudes are moving towards a sustainability approach into three level – Individual,
Community and Society level as they are looking for products as per their basic needs while
they keeping extra inventory of essential items at their home. The demand for products that
are concerned towards safety and hygiene appeals will be more compared to the luxury
items. As per the Nielsen India report the food category demand have increased from 7% to
10% and remarked that the demand for essential goods will be more strapping due to panic
buying behaviour of consumers.

The consumer buying behaviour for essential goods buying online in a nutshell depends
upon awareness of online platforms, availability of essential goods, the social acceptance,
experience of peer groups, communication received from brands, access to internet facilities
and perceptions of consumers towards online buying in pandemic phase.

Producers can influence the consumers through following points in

pandemic 2020:
• Products focused on healthy lifestyle.
• Redefining the marketing strategies.
• Digital Presence of products.
• Staying connected with consumers.
• Availability of products in global market.
• Effective supply chain of products.
• By offering a discount on online buying.
• Bringing Click and Collect system.

1.17. 5 new e-commerce trends emerging amid the covid-19 pandemic

1.17.1. Shrinking retail sectors:

The enforced lockdowns in countries have had a knock-on effect on certain product types.
With less people traveling, the luggage and briefcases categories have seen the biggest hits
both seeing a decline of 77 percent since Covid-19 was first reported. This corresponds with
major travel booking sites suffering a massive drop in bookings in the first quarter of 2020.

Swimwear, running shoes, party supplies, bridal clothing and formalwear have also fallen
victim to the change in circumstances as mass gatherings have mostly been banned. In time
to come, when the pandemic restrictions ease, most of these categories will likely show signs
of recovery.
1.17.2. Growing Online Retail Market:

Meanwhile, some sectors have seen a surge in growth. Notably, the sale of computer
monitors has soared as the corporate world embraces working from home. With most gyms
no longer accessible to public, weight training equipment has also seen a 300 percent surge
in online orders. Craft kits have seen sales increase by 117 percent as consumers search for
new activities to do at home. The stay-at-home fitness boom has given a boost to the fitness
industry. Working from home also means consumers are driving demand for foodstuffs to
prepare meals from home soups, pasta, rice, vegetables, fruit cups, cereals and flour fall
under the 20 biggest-growing e-commerce categories. The second-biggest increase, after
disposable gloves, was the sale of bread machines. A massive 652 percent increase in sales
reflects the public’s desire to keep themselves busy. Other more interesting highlights have
been ping pong sets (+89 percent), pet training pads and trays (+125 percent) and hair
colouring kits (+115 percent).

1.17.3. Changing directions in challenges times:

As Web Smith of media and publishing company 2PM tweeted: “Digital natives that sell
or market non-essentials can be placed into two categories:

No. 1: awaiting normality’s return.

No. 2: invents or sources a product that becomes essential.”

While some can be accused of profiteering from a global emergency, those who create
genuinely useful products that will make a difference can seize the opportunity for good.
Personal protective equipment such as masks has been in high demand during the pandemic.
For many companies, the focus has been to help in whatever way possible. It has been well
documented that in many countries, there have been shortages of essential items for helping
stop the spread of Covid-19. Hand sanitizers, face masks and eye protection gear have all
been in high demand, with many companies switching their production streams to
manufacture these supplies.

1.17.4. Shifting to a direct-to-consumer (DTC) model:

“We’re in a moment where situations quickly change, and brands should provide
customers with assurance, connection and control. By adopting a business strategy that is
more direct-to-consumer, brands can take great strides toward becoming customer-obsessed
and meeting the needs of their audiences,” said Pablo Stefanoni of creative agency Media
Monks.
 “Those who will do best long-term are the ones that can pivot their content strategies and
platforms fastest.” For instance, food wholesalers in the UK are turning to the DTC model
to stay afloat. One of the keys, they say, is the ability to sell on social media. Having a
presence where potential customers are is key to engaging with them effectively.

1.17.5. Differences in behaviour:

Across genders and generations, people have reacted in different ways to the developing
situation. According to e-commerce company BigCommerce, Gen Z and Millennials are
cutting back on spending, stocking up on items, and spending less on experiences. Gen X
and Boomers, meanwhile, are seemingly less concerned as only 24 percent of Boomers and
34 percent of Gen X are letting the current situation affect what they buy, compared to nearly
half for Millennials.

In terms of gender, while women are more likely to be concerned, it is men’s spending
habits that have been affected. Men are turning to BOPIS (buy online, pick-up in store)
services, curb side pickups, and subscription services more than women are. More men are
also reportedly spending less on travel and entertainment than women, and are spending
more money on groceries than previously. While it may take some time for the world to
return to a pre-Covid-19 state, the new normal will be an interesting scenario to adapt to.
How brands act now will have huge ramifications for its future.
 CHAPTER 2 :
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
2.1. Introduction :
On 24th march, 2020, the government of India under prime minister Mr. Narendra Modi
ordered a nationwide lockdown for 21 days, limiting movement of the entire 1.3 billion
population of India as a preventive measure against the covid-19 pandemic in India. It was
followed by a 14-hour voluntary public curfew on 22 march, after enforcing the series of
regulations in the country’s covid-19 affected regions. ever since then, the corona virus
positive cases are increasing at a rapid rate and hence the lockdown also got extended. E-
commerce business is taking place when buyer and seller conduct their business transaction
with the help of internet. the term electronic commerce or e-commerce refers to any sort of
business that involves the transfer of information through the internet.

The customers in pandemic have focused towards their health, hygiene and basic needs
and markets are global rather than fragmented in the covid scenario. Customers are trying to
change their ways of living and dependence on digital platforms have increased to maintain
social distancing norms and fear of getting infected with the deadly virus. The customers
buying behavior is a modelled approach which studies the pattern of groups, individuals in
regards to their acquisition, buying, consumption and disposition of goods which even
includes their attitudes, behaviors, preferences, lifestyle and their consumption pattern etc.

2.2 Objectives of the study :

• To understand the buying behavior of customers towards online shopping.
• To study the how coronavirus affects customer buying behavior.
• To analyze how online services due to covid-19 affects customers buying behavior.
• To explore how awareness level of buyers affects customers buying behavior
• To study the customer attitude of buying goods in online platforms during pandemic.

2.3. Hypothesis of the study:

1. HO: There is no change in customer buying behavior towards online shopping during
covid in thane region.

2. H1: There is change in customer buying behavior towards online shopping during covid
in thane region.
2.4. Scope of the study :
This research works a brief idea about consumer buying behavior towards online
shopping during covid. The pandemic will be changing our behaviors as individuals and is
changing our behaviors as groups. Nowhere has this shift been see more than in people’s
shopping habits. Due to pandemic consumers are more move towards different online
platforms for online shopping like Amazon, Snapdeal, Myntra, Flipkart etc. future research
can be done to access the consumer issues and needs of doing online shopping around these
platforms in post covid. Focused research can be done to find out the core differences of
changing the consumer behaviors in pre and post covid-19 pandemic and changing the online
shopping pattern in post covid-19 pandemic.

2.5. Limitations of the study:

Due to constraints of time and resources the study is likely to suffer from certain
limitations. Some of them are mentioned below so that the findings of the study are
understood in proper perspective. The limitations of the study are-

(1) People were not sure that is online survey was safe and would not leak their information.

(2) Area of the study is limited to the thane city.

(3) The research was carried out in a short period of time. Therefore, the sample size was
selected accordingly so as to finish the work within the given time frame.

(4) The research was conducted through limits sample size i.e., of 100 respondents.

2.6. Research Methodology:

Research is an art of scientific investigation. In other word research methodology is the
specific techniques used to identify, select, process and analyze information about a topic. It
is the path through which researchers need to conduct their research. The logic behind taking
research methodology into consideration is that one can have knowledge about the method
and procedure adopted for achievement of objectives of the project. Its main aim to keep the
researchers on the right track. The methodology adopted for studying the objectives was
surveying the study on customer behavior towards online shopping during covid in thane
region. Questionnaire method was adopted for the collection of primary data. Secondary data
has been collected through the e-books and by surfing on internet.
2.6.1. Universe of the region:

The research universe was thane region. The responses were collected by the buyers and
sellers of thane region only.

2.6.2. Method of sampling:

Simple random sampling method is a sampling technique where every item in the
population has an even chance and likelihood of being selected in the sample. Here the
selection of items completely depends on chance or by probability and therefore this
sampling technique is also sometimes known as a method of chance.

2.6.3. Sample Size:

Keeping in mind all the constraints the size of the sample of my study was selected as
100. The sample size was classified on the basis of age, gender, education qualification,
occupation of the respondents.

2.6.4. Method of data collection:

Data was collected by using two main methods i.e., primary data and secondary data.

2.6.4.1. Primary Data:

There are number of sources of primary data from which the information can be collected.
I choose the following resources for my research.

Questionnaire: I researched using a set of some simple questions and requested the
respondents to answer these Questions with correct information. The questionnaire was
uploaded on Survey Heart. This questionnaire was sent to the respondents through various
social networking apps i.e., WhatsApp, mail, messaging app, etc.

2.6.4.2. Secondary Data:

The secondary data was collected by referring various research papers, e-books, journals,
articles and surfing on internet. The secondary data collected is aimed just for reference
purpose.

2.7. Method of data analysis:

The data analyzing techniques used were bar graphs, pie charts, percentage method and
column method. The data collected form primary source is represented by using bar
diagrams, graphs, pie charts, etc.
 CHAPTER 3 :
REVIEW OF LITREATURE
 The study was focused on how the buying behavior of consumers change during covid-
19 pandemic. Research asserts that there are certain trends in shopping online during
pandemic. People prefer valued goods and goods which gives them great offers in best price.
People keep their primary focus on savings due to uncertainty of the situation. The research
focus on how there is the major shift to online shopping rather than street shopping due to
risk of covid. it also enunciates how the consumer cut their spending on luxury and recreation
items during the pandemic and maintain constant spending pattern towards groceries or to
say, necessary and essential items. The prices of essential goods have increased due to to the
current situation and the poor population is affected due to this. Consumers aren’t fully
satisfied due to the delay in online delivery on account of lockdown. The research also stated
that the online shopping is affected because of delivery persons getting infected virus. Due
to the social distancing norm, people are rapidly moving towards online platforms to fulfill
their needs. The marketers should devise hygiene measures, so that consumers trust the brand
and remain loyal.

3.1 Review of Research Papers :

Jelena Sakovic Jovanovic, Radoje Vujadinovic, Elizabeta Mitreva, Cristiano Fragassa

and Aleksandar Vujovic (August 2020)

This paper, “The Relationship Between E-commerce and firms Performance: The
Mediating Role of Internet Sales Channels”, postulates that the effect of e-commerce on firm
performance is not direct and needs to be examined using mediating factors. The ordinary
least squares model was employed with the data of the flash Eurobarometer 439 survey
entitled the use of online marketplace and search engines by small and medium enterprises.
The obtained findings provide support for the mediating hypothesis. To be more precise,
while the relationship between e-commerce and firm performance is negative, it is positively
mediated by certain types of internet sales channels. This study advances research on e-
commerce by emphasizing the importance of mediating effect.

Raj Kumar Singh

This research paper,” E-commerce in India: Opportunities and Challenges”, examines the
trends and challenges of e-commerce in India. Many companies today engaged in electronic
commerce for direct marketing, selling and customer service, online banking and billing,
secure distribution pf information, value chain trading and corporate purchasing. The
objective of the study is to identify and solve a customer pain point. Lack of knowledge and
information about rights that provides legal uncertainty. Customer awareness of the offers
and competitive prices form burden retailers. Online customer market place to improve risk
skill in fraud and cyber security cashless transmit to attract customers and increase online
traffic decreasing documentation and reducing paper work.

Julia Koch, Britta From Meyer and Gerhard Schewe (December 2020)

In this research paper Online Shopping Motives During the Covid-19 Pandemic- Lessons
from the Crisis”, The investigation established drivers of online purchase behavior is of great
relevance during the covid-19 pandemic, as companies must anticipate consumers behavior
during this global crisis to maintain a competitive edge. This study investigates online
shopping motives of generation Y and Z doing the covid-19 shutdown in April 2020. We
use survey data from 451 German consumers to examine the relations between normative,
utilitarian and hedonic motives, and purchase intentions employing structural equation
modeling. This research papers provides recommendations for e-commerce companies on
ways to address consumers purchase motives and strategically harness normative influences.

Mrs. Kranti Shashikant Patil (May 2020)

In this research paper,” Impact on Covid-19 on E-Commerce”, Researcher study the

impact of covid-19 on e-commerce. E-commerce is the most considered and preferred way
of purchasing all sorts of products and services by the consumers all over the world now
days. Convenient yet reasonable with lot of variety to choose from all over the world at
fingertips is the reason why e-commerce is growing by lips and bounds. But due to covid-
19 pandemic e-commerce business are facing challenges of unexpected forms which never
existed before. There is a certain change in demand and buying behavior of consumer all of
a sudden. Lockdowns and restrictions posed by the government in order to control covid-19
spread resulted into nightmare for e-commerce business. This paper tries to throw light on
those impacts.

Van Kien Pham, Tran Le Nguyen, Thi Thu Ha Do, My Ha Tang, and Ha Le Thu Hoai

In this research paper, “A study on Switching Behavior Towards Online Shopping of

Vietnamese Consumer During the Covid-19 Time”, The study found that the perception of
risk variables was found negatively in the normal situation. Moreover, among the benefits
variables , marketing policy shows the impact on online shopping with awareness of covid-
19 compared to no effects without covid-19. Furthermore, some control variables in the
model have different results in online shopping compared to previous papers in which could
be recommended to test again in future researchers. However, this behavior would not
maintain after the epidemic season. As a result, the study’s findings will contribute to clarify
changes in consumers buying behavior, in order to help businesses can respond in time
during the epidemic season.

Mansour Abd Elrhim, Abdullah Elsayed (July 2020)

This paper attempts to investigate the effects of the spread of covid-19 on global e-
commerce companies, where the five largest e-commerce companies in the world were
chosen in terms of revenues and market value. The results of the descriptive analysis of the
returns of the e-commerce companies showed that the companies achieve positive daily
returns by calculating the average daily returns. The results of the aggregate model,
according to the beta standardizes coefficients test, indicate the most important independent
variables and an impact on the returns of share of global electronic trading companies, a
variable was the degree of its impact in the first rank, in the second rank a variable (total
cases) and in the third variable(new cases).

Dr. Bayad Jamal Ali (October 2020)

This article impact of covid-19 on consumer buying behavior towards online shopping
study the possible corelation of covid-19 to consumer buying behaviors of electronic durable
goods in Iraq with the specific focus on understanding consumer adaptions to the related
restrictions. This study examines extant literature and secondary sales data from Samsung,
the largest consumer electronic durable goods company in Iraq, to show how the pandemic
may have encourage consumers to embrace technology, as hinted by the surge in online
purchases, some markets have found it difficult to adapt to online shopping, despite the
pandemic negatively affecting brick and mortar sales worldwide.

Vitale (Team lead), Laura Cyron, Collaboration with Louis-Pierre Michaud and
Vincent Riegel under Supervision of Cecile Barayre

This paper covid-19 and e-commerce impact on business and policy responses is based
on the results of a survey that investigate the impact of covid-19 on e-commerce businesses
from early march to end of July 2020. It focuses on 23 countries, mainly LDCs, in Africa
and Asia-pacific. The countries have all benefited from UNCTAD’s e-commerce capacity
building Programmes, either through an E-trade readiness assessment or a national e-
commerce Strategy.

Alina Butu, Ioan Sebastian Bruma, Lucian Tanasa, Steliana Rodina, Codrin Dinu
Vasiliu, Sebastian Dobos, and Marian Butu (July 2020)

In their article impact of covid-19 crisis upon the consumer buying behavior of fresh
vegetables directly from local producers, study the interpretation of answers received from
the quarantined area (N=257) to a questionnaire applied online nationwide. The starting
point of this paper is the analysis of the sociodemographic factors on the purchasing decision
of fresh vegetables directly from local producers before declaring the state of emergency in
Romania . further research has been conducted by interpreting the changes triggered by the
covid-19crisis on the purchasing intention of such products before and after the end of the
respective crisis. The aim of this scientific investigation relies on identifying the methods by
which these behavioral changes can influences the digital transformation of short food
supply chains.

Anam Bhatti, Hamza Akram, Hafiz Muhammad Basit, Ahmed Usman khan, Syeda
Mahwish Raza Naqvi, Muhammad Bilal (July2020)

In this article e-commerce trends during covid-19 pandemic, determined the ecommerce
trends in coronavirus predicament as well as how imminent progress in e-commerce that
affect consumer behavior in future. This article examines that e-commerce grew due to
coronavirus. E-commerce is become a substitute source and considered top in this condition,
and e-retailers provides goods that usually consumers bought in superstore traditionally.
Coronavirus impact on whole e-commerce. Meanwhile, we want to comprehend their
efficacy to stability both cost and benefits as well connected actions in coming upcoming.

Himmgiri Chaudhary under the Supervision of Dr. Shiv Shankar Kumar Yadav

In this research paper analyzing the paradigm shift of consumers behavior towards e-
commerce during pandemic lockdown study the many customer shifting their behavior from
offline retail stores to online stores. In this some of them are old customers which used to
buy some of their essential (FMCG) goods online and some of them are new users. This
whole paper shows and puts light on how consumer behavior has changed and they are
shifting towards e-commerce.
Komal Sharma (December 2020)

In this article a surge in e-commerce market in India after covid-19 pandemic, study that
growth of e-commerce due to covid-19 pandemic and also find that e-commerce became
substitute source of traditional marketing or not with the help of secondary data taken from
authorized websites. The popularity of e-commerce increase after the advent of covid-19
pandemic is 17% and expected to rise further. Sectors such as electronics, fashion and
accessories, health and pharma and FMCG did particularly well, with an average growth of
133% in sales.

Mr. Parth Sanjay Salunke , Ms. Tanaya Joshi, Mr, Anand Bhoir (October 2020)

In this paper understanding the consumer buying behavior towards online buying for
essential goods during covid outbreak studies that buying behavior and reasons for buying
from online platforms during the phase of pandemic. the consumer are trying to change their
ways of living and dependence on digital platforms have increased to maintain social
distancing norms and fear of getting infected with the deadly virus.therfore, consumers shift
their buying behavior towards digital platforms.

Seema Mehta, Tanjul Saxena and Neetu Purohit (2020)

This article looks at the consumer behavior during covid-19 crisis will and in the
subsequent lockdown period when the world stood still for more than a quarter of a year.
Further, the article attempts to weave through the maze of literature available about
consumer behavior in normal time and in crisis times, strengthens it with the rapid
assessment reports culled out by the different consulting organizations during lockdown
phase, substantiates the same with first-hand telling and retelling of experiences by consumer
and professionals with marketing background to bring up a hypothesis of the pandemic
affecting a paradigm shift from consumer materialism to consumers spiritualism.

Suchitra Debnath (June 2020)

The study impact of covid-19 on consumer purchase behavior in retail sector, analyses
the impact of novel coronavirus in this area of awareness level of buyers, online service and
huge price rise of products on consumer purchase behavior in retail sector. The study has
been conducted on 152 respondents from the different areas of Kolkata city through online
mode by using an online questionnaire using convenience sampling technique. After data
collection through online survey, it is analyzed using multiple regression analysis to find out
the significance of individual predictor.

Jagdish Sheth (January 2020)

In this research paper, impact of covid-19 on consumers behavior : will the old habits
return to die? , study the consumers ae learning to improvise and learn new habits. For
example, consumers cannot go to the store, so the store comes to home. While consumers
go back to old habits, it is likely that they will be modified by new regulations and precedures
in the way consumers shop and buy products and service. New habits will also emerge by
technology advances, changing demographics and innovative ways consumers have learned
to cope with blurring the work, leisure, and education boundaries.

Anupam Sharma (March 2020)

In this research paper changing consumer behaviors towards online shopping-a impact of
covid-19, aims to reflect on different issues and perspective of online marketing due to
covid-19. There are still many more uncertainties to predict how the sale for the next few
months will be impacting the global community, both personally as well as professionally.
This study explores the impact of the epidemic from toilet tissue rolls to baby gear, per food
to many more daily essentials. Although some of the companies managed to operate through
social commerce that is marketing by using e-commerce and social media.

Tareq N. Hashem (2020)

In this paper examining the influence of covid-19 pandemic in changing customers

orientation towards e-shopping , study that the covid-19 pandemic managed to change
customer behavior towards depending more on online shopping and e-payment methods
during covid-19 pandemic and the circumstances of lockdown and quarantine, in addition to
they, results of pre and post behavior indicated that the influence appeared to be more
influenced by gender and academic qualification as females behavior appeared to be more
influential and those who held a diploma. Study recommend that companies need to develop
effective marketing strategies and enhance their presence in the e-commerce sector.
3.2 Review of Books
The War Against Covid-19: An Alarm to Mankind ( A Multidisciplinary Approach)
under that chapter 45 Research Paper of Prof. Abhijeet A. Tavakari and Prof.
Sangeeta P. Sansuddi on impact of covid-19 on e-commerce market study the covid-19
impact and measures of improving e-commerce market. The factors which drive the growth
of the e-commerce market before the covid-19 pandemic include strong launching of
products, low price due to bulk purchase and so on. In addition, an increasing number of
exclusive products in the market and lower prices of goods due to the direct distribution
channel and economies of scale further contribute to the growth of the global e-commerce
market. Moreover, after the covid-19 pandemic, social distancing and staying home is further
expected to push the consumers towards online shopping. However, uncertain consumer
demand and supply chain issues can affect the e-commerce market industry. The covid-19
pandemic issues can also affect big merchants such as Walmart, which are experiencing a
drop in casual shopping, supply chain disruption, and increase in purchase of essential
toiletries, groceries and other products.

3.3 Review of thesis

Helin Oven and Melissa Hicintuka (May 2020)

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how covid-19 affects international e-commerce
firms. Covid-19 has been the source of changes in the international business environment
across world form the beginning of year 2020. The effects on e-commerce firms are nearly
unknown, therefore, this research is unique. The aim of this study is to gain more knowledge
on how international e-commerce firms are responding to the pandemic. by a qualitative
research method, the study will explore and conduct a deeper understanding on the e-
commerce firms experiences through a data collection.
 CHAPTER 4 :
ANALYSIS AND
INTERPRETATION OF
DATA
 Analysis is a process of organizing and synthesizing data in such a way that research
question can be answered and hypothesis tested. The term analysis refers to the computation
of certain resources along with searching for patterns of relationship that exists among data
groups.

Analysis of data in a general way involves a number of closely related operations, which
are performed. With the source of summarizing the collected data, organizing these in such
manner that they answer the research questions.

In this chapter, the data collected were systematically tabulated and made suitable for
analysis and interpretations, it was study on customer behavior towards online shopping
during covid in thane region through data collected by questionnaire. The results obtained
were classified, tabulated and the following analysis were performed in fulfilling the
objectives of the study.
1. Age wise analysis

Table: 4.1. Age group of the respondents.

Age Group of Respondents Response Percentage (%)

Below 20 15 15%

Between 20-30 77 77%

Between 30-40 7 7%

Above 40 1 1%

Source: By Primary Data

Chart 4.1. Age group of the respondents.

AGE GROUP

above 40

between 30-40

between 20-30

below 20

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Source: By Primary Data

Interpretation:

The above table represents age wise analysis maximum response were from the age group
20-30. There after maximum response where where age group Below 20. This shows us that
there is a good no. of respondents who’s buying behavior is change during covid 19
lockdown.
2. Gender wise analysis

Table: 4.2. Gender of the respondents.

Gender Respondents Percentage (%)

Male 33 33%

Female 67 67%

Other Nil Nil

Source: By Primary Data

Chart: 4.2. Gender of the respondents.

GENDER

Other

Female

Male

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Source: By Primary Data

Interpretation:

Table represents total male respondents are 33% out of 100 respondents. While total
female respondents are 67% out of 100 respondents. We can say that female actively using
the online mode shopping during covid as compared to males.
3. Education wise classification of respondents

Table: 4.3. Education Qualification

Education Respondents Percentage (%)

Under Graduate 67 67%

Graduate 19 19%

Post Graduate 5 5%

Masters 1 1%

Others 8 8%

100 100%

Source: By Primary Data

Chart: 4.3. Education Qualification of the respondents.

EDUCATION QULIFICATION
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Under Graduate Post Masters others
Graduate Graduate

Source: By Primary Data

Interpretation:

The above table shows the education wise qualification of the respondents. The
respondents included under graduate, graduate, post graduate, masters and others. The
survey included 67% under graduate, 19% graduate, 5% post graduate, 1% masters and 8%
others out of total 100 respondents.
4. Occupation wise analysis

Table: 4.4. Occupation wise classification.

Occupation Respondents Percentage (%)

Salaried Employee 33 33%

Business 2 2%

Students 53 53%

House Wife 10 10%

Professional 2 2%

Source: By Primary Data

Chart: 4.4. Occupation of the respondents.

OCCUPATION

Professional

Housewife

Student

Business

Salaried Employee

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Source: By Primary Data

Interpretation:

This table indicated that majority of the respondents belongs to the student category i.e.,
53%. While 33% of the respondents are from salaried employee category. Rest of the
respondents are businessmen, housewives, professionals. Thus, we can say that students and
salaried employee are actively using the online mode for shopping during covid-19
lockdown.
5. Do you know about E-Commerce?

Table: 4.5. Show awareness among the respondents about E-Commerce.

Awareness Respondents Percentage (%)

Yes 87% 87%

No 5% 5%

May Be 8% 8%

Source: By Primary Data

Chart: 4.5. Awareness about E-Commerce.

AWARENESS
100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
Yes No May be

Source: By Primary Data

Interpretation:

The above table shows awareness about the e-commerce. 87% of the respondents are
aware about what is e-commerce. 5% respondents are not aware about the e-commerce and
8% of the respondents were not sure about their answer. This indicate that there is more
awareness about e-commerce among the respondents.
6. Have you purchased goods before Covid-19 lockdown?

Table: 4.6. Shows respondents behavior of purchased goods before lockdown.

Behaviour Respondents Percentage (%)

Yes 72 72%

No 22 22%

May Be 6 6%

Source: By Primary Data

Chart: 4.6. Respondents’ behavior of purchased goods before Lockdown.

BEHAVIOR
80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
Yes No May be

Source: By Primary Data

Interpretation:

The above table shows the respondents behavior of purchasing goods online before covid
lockdown. 72% respondents are purchased goods before lockdown where 22% respondents
are not purchased goods before lockdown out of them 6% respondents not sure about their
answer.
7. Have you ordered goods during lockdown?

Table: 4.7. Shows respondents behavior of ordered goods during lockdown.

Behaviour Respondents Percentage (%)

Yes 54 54%

No 42 42%

May Be 4 4%

Source: By Primary Data

Chart: 4.7. Respondents Behavior of Ordered Goods During Lockdown.

BEHAVIOR
60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
Yes No May be

Source: By Primary Data

Interpretation:

The above table shows that the respondent’s behavior of online shopping during
lockdown period. Out of 100% respondents 54% respondents are ordered goods during
lockdown period, 42% respondents are nor ordered goods during lockdown period and 4%
respondents are not about their answer.
8. Are you satisfied on buying goods online rather than buying through retail shops?

Table: 4.8. Shows respondent behavior of buying goods online rather than through
retail shops.

Behaviour Respondents Percentage (%)

Yes 55 55%

No 14 14%

May Be 31 31%

Source: By Primary Data

Chart: 4.8. Respondents’ behavior of buying goods online rather than retail shops.

BEHAVIOR
60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
Yes No May be

Source: By Primary Data

Interpretation:

This table shows the respondents behavior of purchasing goods online rather than retail
shops. 55% respondents are satisfied for purchasing goods online rather through retail shops
and 145 respondents are not satisfied for purchasing goods online rather than retail shops
out of them 31% respondents are not sure about their answer.
9. Do you think E-Commerce is playing the important role during lockdown period?

Table: 4.9. Shows the respondent thinking of the E-Commerce role is important in
the lockdown period.

Respondents Vote Respondents Percentage (%)

Yes 72 72%

No 6 6%

May Be 22 22%

Source: By Primary Data

Chart: 4.9 E-Commerce playing important role during lockdown period.

RESPONDENTS VOTE
80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
Yes No May be

Source: By Primary Data

Interpretation:

The above table show the respondents vote about e-commerce is playing the important
role during lockdown period or not. Out of 100% respondents 72% respondents are given
their vote for e-commerce is play the important role during lockdown where as 6%
respondents are not giving their vote for e-commerce is playing the important role during
lockdown out of them 22% respondents are not aware about their answer.
10. How has the corona virus lockdown affected customers Online Shopping?

Table: 4.10. Shows the how corona virus affection to the customers Online Shopping.

Affection Respondents Percentage (%)

Increased Online 75 75%

Shopping

Shopped for First 6 6%

Time

No Effect 16 16%

Decreased / Stopped 3 3%
Online Shopping

Source: By Primary Data

Chart: 4.10. Corona virus affection to the customers Online Shopping.

AFFECTION
80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
Increased online shopping Shopped online for first No effect Decreased / stopped
time online shopping

Source: By Primary Data

Interpretation:

This table represent the corona virus affection towards online shopping behavior. 75%
respondents are said that in this pandemic online shopping is going to increased , 6%
respondents are shopped online for first time, 16% respondents are said that there is no effect
on online shopping of this corona virus and out of 3% respondents are said that there is
decreased online shopping in this pandemic.
11. Which product types have consumers bought online since the start of the lockdown?

Table: 4.11. Shows the different types of products that consumers bought online in the
lockdown.

Product Types Respondents Percentage (%)

Clothing / 45 45%
Accessories

Food 24 24%

Gifts / Luxury Nil Nil

Items
Personal Care 19 19%

Other 12 12%

Source: By Primary Data

Chart: 4.11. Different Types of Product that Consumers bought Online in the
lockdown.

PRODUCT TYPES
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Clothing / Food Gifts / Luxury items Personal Care Other
Accessories

Source: By Primary Data

Interpretation:

The above table represents the which types of product consumer bought since the start of
the lockdown. 45% respondents are bought clothing/accessories, 24% respondents are
bought good during lockdown, 19% respondents are bought personal care products and 12%
respondents are bought other types of product. We can say that there is a greater number of
respondents are bought clothing /accessories and food product and there is no demand for
gifts /luxury type product in lockdown period.
12. Has Covid-19 pandemic lockdown increased your frequency of buying online?

Table: 4.12. Shows the Covid-19 pandemic increased frequency of online shopping.

Frequency Respondents Percentage (%)

Yes 56 56%

No 10 10%

May Be 34 34%

Sources: By Primary Data

Chart: 4.12. Covid-19 pandemic increased frequency of online shopping.

FREQUENCY
60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
Yes No May be

Sources: By Primary Data

Interpretation:

This chart shows that covid-19 pandemic increased frequency of buying online or not.
There are 56% respondents are said that the covid-19 pandemic has increased frequency of
buying online and 10% respondents are said that there is increased frequency of buying
online out of them 34% respondents are not sure about their answer.
13. Online shopping is comfortable comparing to physical shopping during Covid-
19 lockdown?

Table: 4.13. Shows the online shopping is comfortable than physical shopping
during Covid-19 lockdown.

Comparison Respondents Percentage (%)

Yes 53 53%

No 7 7%

May Be 40 40%

Source: By Primary Data

Chart: 4.13. Online shopping is comfortable than physical shopping during Covid-19
lockdown.

COMPARISON
60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
Yes No May be

Source: By Primary Data

Interpretation:

In this chart shows that online shopping is comfortable comparing to physical shopping
during covid-19 lockdown or not. Out of 100% respondents 53% respondents are said that
online shopping is comfortable where as 7% respondents are said that online shopping is not
comfortable comparing to physical shopping during covid-19 lockdown and out of them
40% respondents are not aware about their answer.
14. Online shopping satisfy the customer needs as much as physical shopping?

Table: 4.14. Shows the respondents satisfaction about the online shopping rather
than physical shopping.

Satisfaction Respondents Percentage (%)

Yes 41 41%

No 14 14%

May Be 45 45%

Source: By Primary Data

Chart: 4.14. Respondents’ satisfaction about the online shopping rather than physical
shopping.

SATISFACTION
50%

45%

40%

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
Yes No May be

Source: By Primary Data

Interpretation:

This table represent online shopping satisfy the customer needs as much as physical
shopping or not. 41% respondents are said that online shopping satisfy the customer needs
as much as physical shopping and 14% respondents are said that online shopping not satisfy
the customer needs as much as physical shopping and out of them 45% respondents are not
sure about their answer.
15. Which is the best platforms of online shopping during Covid-19 in lockdown?

Table: 4.15. Shows the respondents suggestions of best platforms for online shopping
during Covid-19 lockdown.

Best Platforms Respondents Percentage (%)

Amazon 68 68%

Flipkart 26 26%

Snapdeal 1 1%

Myntra 5 5%

Source: By Primary Data

Chart: 4.15. Respondents’ suggestion of best platforms for online shopping during
Covid-19 lockdown.

BEST PLATFORMS
80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
Amazon Flipkart Snapdeal Myntra

Source: By Primary Data

Interpretation:

In this table represent which is the best platform for online shopping during covid-19
lockdown. 68% respondents move towards Amazon for online shopping, 26% respondents
move towards Flipkart, 1% respondents move towards Snapdeal and 5% respondents move
towards Myntra for online shopping. We can say that there is a greater number of
respondents are choosing amazon is best platform for online shopping.
16. After the end of Covid-19 lockdown, how do customer expect their online
shopping spending on items besides groceries to change?

Table: 4.16. Shows the respondents expectation of online shopping spending on items
besides groceries to change after the end of Covid-19 lockdown.

Expectations Respondents Percentage (%)

Increase Greatly 40 40%

Decrease Greatly 3 3%

Decrease Slightly 8 8%

Increase Slightly 25 25%

Stay the Same 24 24%

Source: By Primary Data

Chart: 4.16. Respondents’ expectation of online shopping on items besides groceries

to change after the end of Covid-19 lockdown.

EXPECTATIONS
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Increase Greatly Decrease Greatly Decrease Slightly Increase Slightly Stay the Same

Source: By Primary Data

Interpretation:

In this table represents that customer expectations their online spending on items besides
groceries to change. 40% respondents are said that there spending besides groceries is
increase greatly after the end of covid-19, 3% respondents are said that there spending
besides groceries is decrease greatly, 8% respondents are said that there spending besides
groceries is decrease slightly, 25% respondents are said that there spending besides groceries
is increase slightly, and 24% respondents are said that there spending besides groceries is
stay the same.
 CHAPTER 5 :
FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS
5.1. FINDINGS
The analysis of the data collected from the respondents reveals the following summary
of facts and findings:

• The analysis revels that the majority of the respondents are female (67%), the reason
for the proportion of male (33%).
• It is found that the majority of the respondents done online shopping comes under the
age group 20-30 years.
• Further , it indicates that the under graduates are the largest (67%).
• The occupational status of the respondents reveals that the majority (53%) of the
respondents were of students.
• Most of the respondents (72%) purchased goods before covid-19 lockdown, further it is
found that (22%) respondents do not purchased goods before lockdown.
• Most of the respondents (54%) do not ordered goods during lockdown period , further it
is found that (42%) respondents ordered goods during lockdown period.
• Most of the respondents (68%) choosing Amazon for online shopping in this pandemic.
• Most of the respondents (45%) bought clothing / Accessories since start of the
lockdown.
• Most of the respondents (56%) are said thatcovid-19 pandemic is increase frequency of
online shopping.
• Most of the respondents (55%) are satisfy on buying goods online rather than buying
through retail shops
5.2. CONCLUSIONS:

Here, the researcher concluded that more respondents were from the age group od 20-30
and there were more female respondents compared to male respondents. Most of the
respondents were under graduate. The survey included most of the student respondents.
Many of the respondents are aware about what is e-commerce. People use various platforms
for online shopping in today’s situation because of Covid-19 pandemic. it can be concluded
that there is shifting the customer behavior progressively moving towards online shopping
therefore many online platforms such as amazon, Flipkart are adopted the new techniques
and also precautions for customer needs and their safety also. These are because of several
reasons like, the person is fear to buy goods offline due to the Covid-19 virus. So, they trust
more in the E-Commerce industry rather than buying goods through offline kirana stores.
The researcher conclude that the covid-19 helps e-commerce to generate more customers
because everything was lockdown and people were scared to step out from their house, so
they preferred to buy goods online and many of the new customers also do shopping first
time. Most of the people are purchased goods online since start of the lockdown. And it can
also be concluded that the covid-19 pandemic has increased frequency of buying online.
The Covid-19 pandemic has made it clear that E-Commerce can be an important tool for
consumers in times of crisis and most of the people say that they are kept on buying goods
online even after the lockdown. So, that it clearly shows that the e-commerce industry is
going to boom in the future.
 SUGGESTIONS

• Consumer should be made more aware about the e-commerce.

• Awareness drives should be carried out to increase online shopping.
• Share your knowledge and help them realize that they need to be more alert and mindful
of the things they purchase online as they shop during covid-19.
• Consumer should be using those platforms for online shopping which is easy and quick
accessible for use.
• Consumer should be trust on e-commerce facilities providing during lockdown.
• Consumer should be insisting on secure transactions.
• People should be made in habit of using e-commerce platforms for online shopping
during lockdown period.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Jelena Sakovic Jovanovic, R.V. (August,2020). The Relationship between E-Commerce

and Firm Performance: The Mediating Role of Internet Sales Channels, Sustainability 17.
• Muhammad Kashif, (2020). Covid-19 Impact on Online Shopping. International journal
of Medical Science in Clinical Research and Review, 325.
• Prof. Abhijeet A.Tavakari, P.S. (2020). Impact of Covid-19 on E-commerce Market. In
D.B.S. Kamble (Ed.), War Against Covid-19: An Alarm to Mankind (A Multidisciplinary
Approach) (p.5). Karnataka.
• Salunkhe, M. P. (2020). Understanding the Consumer Buying Behaviour Towards Online
Buying for Essential Goods During Covid Outbreak. An International Bilingual Peer
Reviewed Referred Research Journal, 10(39), 183-191.
• Seema Mehta, T.S. (2020). The New Consumer Behaviour Paradigm amid Covid-19:
Permanent or Transient? Journal of Health Management, 291-301.
• Sharma, A. (2020). Changing Consumer Behaviour Towards Online Shopping – An
Impact of Covid-19. Academy of Marketing Studies Journal, 24(3,2020), 10.
• Sharma, K. (2020). A Surge in E-commerce Market in India After Covid-19 Pandemic.
Global Journal of Social Sciences, 5.
• Sheth, J. (2020). Impact pf Covid-19 on Consumer Behaviour: Will the Old Habits Return
to Die? Journal of Business Research, 280-283.
 ANNEXURE

Q.1. Name_______

Q.2. Age Groups

o Below 20
o Between 20 – 30
o Between 30 – 40
o Above 40

Q.3. Gender

o Male
o Female
o Other

Q.4. Education Qualification

o Under graduate
o Graduate
o Post graduate
o Masters
o Other

Q.5. Occupation

o Salaried employee
o Business
o Student
o Housewife
o Professional
Q.6. Do you know about e-commerce?

o Yes
o No
o May be

Q.7. Have you purchased goods before covid-19 lockdown?

o Yes
o No
o May be

Q.8. Have you ordered goods during lockdown period?

o Yes
o No
o May be

Q.9. Are you satisfied on buying goods online rather than buying through retail shops?

o Yes
o No
o May be

Q.10. Do you think e-commerce is playing the important role during lockdown period?

o Yes
o No
o May be
Q.11. How has the corona virus lockdown affected customers online shopping?

o Increased online shopping

o Shopped online for first time
o No effect
o Decreased / stopped online shopping

Q.12. Which products types have consumers bought online since the start of the
lockdown?

o Clothing / accessories
o Food
o Gifts / luxury
o Personal care
o Other

Q.13. Has covid-19 pandemic lockdown increased your frequency of buying online?

o Yes
o No
o May be

Q.14. Online shopping is comfortable comparing to physical shopping during covid-19

lockdown?

o Yes
o No
o May be

Q.15. Online shopping satisfies the customer needs as much as physical shopping?

o Yes
o No
o May be
Q.16. Which is the best platform of online shopping during covid-19 in lockdown?

o Amazon
o Flipkart
o Snapdeal
o Myntra

Q.17. After the end of covid-19 lockdown, how do customer except their online
shopping on items besides groceries to change?

o Increase greatly
o Decrease greatly
o Decrease slightly
o Increase slightly
o Stay the same