Coronavirus: Consumers Seek 'Non-Essentials', Services Amid Lockdown The survey, that received more than 17,000 responses from across the country, found that 50 per cent households need their air-conditioners or refrigerators repaired, with the onset of the Indian summer.

By Debroop Roy

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Pixabay

With the countrywide lockdown owing to the Coronavirus outbreak keeping everyone home for an extended period of time, people have begun to face problems with goods and services that have been deemed as "non-essential', according to a recent survey by community platform LocalCircles.

The survey, that received more than 17,000 responses from across the country, found that 50 per cent households need their air-conditioners or refrigerators repaired, with the onset of the Indian summer.

When asked what service they required urgently, 18 per cent went with AC or refrigerator repair while 11 per cent each said that they needed repairing of other electronics and gadgets such as mobile phones. 19 per cent said they needed repair of all mentioned products, and 23 per cent said they didn't need any such repairs done right now.

Ecommerce

The Indian Home Ministry made an U-turn last week, wherein, after first allowing ecommerce companies to carry out routine business, it issued a separate notification only days later saying delivery of non-essentials such as mobile phones and laptops would not be allowed.

As per the survey, five per cent respondents said that if ecommerce companies were allowed to deliver, they will order gadgets such as laptops, tablets, and mobile phones while 13 per cent said they will order office and school supplies such as chargers, paper, books, and stationery. Five per cent said they would order white goods and appliances such as air conditioners, coolers and refrigerators.

12 per cent said they would order both gadgets and office/school supplies.

LocalCircles said it would be submitting a copy of its report on behalf of consumers to various stakeholders in the government, requesting them to expand the essentials list based on the products and services outlined.

Ecommerce players such as Paytm Mall and ShopClues have previously come out with statements asking for the government to expand the scope of the essential goods category, so as to allow consumers to buy things other than grocery, and ensure that things keep running smoothly at these households. However, the Confederation of All India Traders, a traders' body which has been a long time critic of the likes of Flipkart and Amazon, lauded the change in the government's stance.

The number of patients who have tested positive for the virus has crossed 23,000 in India, with 721 deceased. A little over 5,000 people have been reported to have recovered as well.

Debroop Roy

Former Correspondent

Covering the start-up ecosystem in and around Bangalore. Formerly an energy reporter at Reuters. A film, cricket buff who also writes fiction on weekends.
Business News

JPMorgan Shuts Down Internal Message Board Comments After Employees React to Return-to-Office Mandate

Employees were given the option to leave comments about the RTO mandate with their first and last names on display — and they did not hold back.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

News and Trends

Recur Club Announces Credit Offerings for Startups Beyond Series A and SMEs

In FY 24–25, the platform also plans to deploy an additional INR 2000 crores through its Recur Swift program for startups.

News and Trends

NeoSapien Secures INR 80 Lakhs on Shark Tank India 4 for AI Wearable

Founded in 2024 by Dhananjay Yadav and Aryan Yadav, NeoSapien aims to integrate AI into daily life through its wearable technology

News and Trends

Accel Fuels Sarla Aviation's Flying Taxi Ambitions with USD 10 Mn Investment

Angel investors, including Binny Bansal (Flipkart co-founder), Nikhil Kamath (Zerodha co-founder), and Sriharsha Majety (Swiggy co-founder), also participated in the round.

News and Trends

Eccentric Eyes Global Expansion with USD 5 Mn Pre-Series A Funding

The round was co-led by Exfinity Venture Partners and Arkam Ventures, marking the company's first institutional funding since its inception in 2012.