Borne out of necessity, digital adoption benefits striving entrepreneurs during the Covid-19 induced lockdown
By Devika Ch
The human race has been facing a huge humanitarian crisis ever since the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. Globally, with over 1.85 billion people being affected, 4 million deaths, and another 3.3 billion global workforces at risk of losing their livelihoods, the COVID pandemic has challenged the daily lives of people like no other humanitarian crisis. The economy, public health and livelihoods of countries are adversely affected. Lawmakers around the globe have resorted to imposing lockdowns to stop the further spread of the disease. People are mandated to stay home and maintain social distancing with exceptions being made for professionals that serve in security, emergency, and essential services.
While the lockdown has had its severe effects on all age groups, it has nonetheless, become a boon for a few. Just like a coin has two sides, the lockdown, despite its negative impact, has surprisingly acted as a booster for creativity and business ideas. Rather than dwelling on the frustrations, many individuals have focused on using their enforced time in lockdown to convert their ideas. Small scale businesses and start-ups driven by young entrepreneurs in Manipur have seen a subsequent rise since the lockdown came into effect in March 2020.
Confined to their homes, people with internet access are hooked to their smartphones and computers. Internet, what was considered a luxury a decade ago, has now become a necessity. As people are barred from free movement outside their homes, the daily needs of the household are made available to them at the tip of their fingers through online shopping in the last few months. Departmental stores, restaurants, book stores, vegetable and fruit shops, etc, continue to remain closed and though not all, most have started shifting their services online. While some have successfully launched certain mobile apps for selling their goods, others use social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp to meet the needs of customers. Kennedy Oinam, an entrepreneur and co-founder of Food Wifi, an online food ordering and home delivery system in Manipur, said “Compared to pre-lockdown period, our order volume and sales have increased threefold. Due to the increase in customer base, we had to double our delivery agents, which gives more people employment too.” He further added that besides food delivery, they also provide services for grocery items and hygiene products such as sanitizers and masks which sell as much as the food deliveries.
“We have seen an increase in terms of orders. Customers’ demand for our products has grown by 30-40% compared to pre-lockdown months. The number of orders we receive through Instagram and Facebook is overwhelming in the last few months. We would like to believe that our cakes serve as a soul-food and makes the bond between family members even greater. I have been trying and learning new recipes to help me boost more in business,” said Pintu Rajkumari, Imphal based baker and founder of Cream and Frost.
Thokchom Nicktam, another young entrepreneur who sells dream catchers online also said, “We had started with just a few orders in a month. But surprisingly, we are getting more demands and business is going pretty well. It started as a hobby and passion, and now we have customers not only in Imphal but across India. Seeing the success of the venture, we hope to continue and make customers happy post lockdown too”.
Recognizing the needs of customers and the market potential, food delivery services such as Food Wifi and Hummingbird, have tied up with various restaurants and cafes in town to accelerate their plans to diversify into home delivery of groceries and essential items. Nowadays, from handloom products to fruits and vegetables, people get everything delivered to their doorsteps with minimum contact. Even local meat shops have established their businesses online ensuring to deliver from morning till late evening.
“I am a neighborhood tailor with very few customers but ever since the outbreak of the virus, I started gathering pieces of cloths to make masks. As it started to sell well, I decided to start selling it online too. I make masks of all sizes and for different occasions. One year into this venture and I had never imagined I would earn this much with my sewing machine,” said Ibeyaima Devi.
With almost every business being transitioned to online, on-demand home service businesses are witnessing a huge rise. The lockdown has heightened several kinds of uncertainty, but one trend has become very clear: it has vastly accelerated digital adoption. Online sales no longer remain an option but a necessity for budding entrepreneurs. The pandemic has caused a structural shift for consumers toward online shopping that is likely to continue in years to come.
(The writer is a social media manager of WICCI Manipur, and a final year student of Mass Communication Department, Manipur University)