What Indians are searching for during lockdown

The closure of malls and unavailability of ration delivery has pushed consumers to look for chemists and kirana stores around their geographical locations. Owing to this, “near me” searches have seen a massive uptick since March 2020, according to a report by Google India.

Queries like “pharmacy near me” rose by over 58 per cent, while “grocery delivery near me” surged by over 550 per cent, “ration dukaan” by more than 300 per cent, and “vet doctor near me” by over 60 per cent.

“Best” searches, which have consistently seen high growth in India, continue to see a sharp rise despite the current scenario. They included queries like “best movies” (35 per cent) on YouTube and “Best trading platforms” (45 per cent).

According to the study – ‘What is India searching for?’ - Indians came online to enrich their knowledge base, enhance their skill levels, and seek validation for their purchasing decisions.

Consumers are vigorously searching responses to questions like “gym at home” (93 per cent), “5-minute recipes” (56 per cent) and searches related to advanced skill sets like “machine learning” (3 times) and “data science” (3 times).

There has also been high growth in queries like “learn online” (85 per cent), “teach online” (148 per cent and “at-home learning” (78 per cent). Queries in the health category have recently pivoted toward “immunity” (500 per cent). Searches for vitamin C, which grew by 40 per cent in 2019, have surged by over 150 per cent in the recent weeks, as have queries for herbs with medicinal properties like “गिलोय” (Giloy) (380 per cent) and Ayurvedic home remedies like “काढ़ा” (Kadha) (90 per cent).

One out of every two consumers had sought personalised information from brands by searching for queries like “how to homeschool kids” and “how to WFH”. Well, while custom goods seem to have seen a slight dip, personalisation is clearly here to stay, the study said.

With social distant lifestyle becoming the new normal, cash transactions are taking a backseat. Queries like "How to pay electric bill online" (180 per cent) and “बिजली बिल चेक” (electricity bill check) (80 per cent) saw an uptick.

Growth of searches like “overnight mutual funds” (411 per cent) and “mutual funds to invest now” (249 per cent) also shows that many consumers are now relying on online resources to take care of their long- and short-term financial goals.

Anything, anywhere, anytime-on demand

Indians, especially the young, are increasingly seeking to move toward a hassle-free and convenient lifestyle with the help of on-demand services. This changing mindset is driven by a very simple logic: “If I can get a cab or pizza on demand, then why not everything else?”

This new development is evidenced by the growth in searches for “consult doctor online” (60 per cent), “collaborative software” (40 per cent), and “free video dating” (70 per cent). The demand for such near-instant gratification has, in fact, led a lot of traditional businesses to pivot to digital to meet people’s evolving needs. A core element of on-demand gratification has been video.

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