#COVID19 is going to change consumer habits, and for a long time to come.

1/ Sachet-sized products are becoming the norm for a while to come https://twitter.com/s_v_g/status/1250686140006363136

2/ People are going to by and large eat at home, and this will mean new winners (FMCG companies) selling packaged goods come out winners. This will also mean the need for likes of Zomato to change their business model. Just saying contactless delivery doesn't mean it actually is.

3/ This will also mean significant stress for #eCommerce companies like @BigBasket @Milkbasket @amazon @flipkart who will need to evolve. They will need to cater to the new mindset of catering to increased people's sensitivity around health and sanitization.

5/ Must also expect consumers to remain extremely touchy about personal health and hygiene here. While social distancing is definitely going to be a thing, it's also things like masks, sanitizers, gloves and other grooming products that will come to the forefront.

6/ Those who can afford it, will prefer to drive themselves. This means more expenditure on personal vehicles (hence ancillary), Insurance products, tyres, auto accessories and fuel.

7/ Payment via cash will reduce in India (and Bharat) and hence mean a significant uptick in Digital Payments. This is going to be the hockey stick moment for key players in the e-wallet market who have deep pockets and are hungry to go beyond payments. New banking majors.

8/ Consumers for a long while will want to play it safe when travelling for holidays and work - so, like car screening became the new normal in India post terrorist attack- temp checks and much stricter sanitisation levels at hotels will be a given.

9/ But splurging on luxury goods, holidays & other excesses isn't coming back significantly for a long while. And any every effort will be made by consumers to save real cash in the form of fixed deposits and gold. This episode has left people scarred & with less money in pocket.

10/ Real estate market, esp commercial, can also be expected to take a hit. With newfound comfort & love for WFH, orgs will go all out to make new policies or update existing ones. This will mean a direct bearing (hit) on their spend on expensive real estate & related services.

11/ Important to share a corollary here to fathom the change in sentiment due to COVID-19. The generation that saw 1947 separation saw the worst in terms of money, health and safety. Hence had heightened sensitivity towards money and an attitude to save. It's our turn now.

12/ The movie business is going to witness tremendous change and likes of @_PVRCinemas will need to adapt rather quickly. People will want to avoid malls, crowds and close doors. Distance seating alone won't solve the problem, and PVR et al need to think of screen-first launches.

14/ This definitely means uptick for devices like smartphones, tablets and desktops and PCs. With more folks in the family glued onto the screens, and having to stay at home, most will want better devices. But ironically enough, these devices will be expensive in coming times.

15/ But consumer confidence & change in behaviour is also going to be directly proportional to a multitude of factors - optimism about economic recovery, the financial stimulus offered by the govt during the course of the pandemic, the severity of job losses & change in income.

16/ Consumer confidence (or the lack of it) also directly hinges upon household income, which in turn is directly related to the number of people employable in average households.

17/ In a country like India & a few others where joint families are still the norm, the more families stay together, better will be their ability to come stronger out of this. And that is also going to a trend reversal - can well expect families to come back together for support.

18 / Other categories that will be hit by a large extent are alcohol, tobacco & restaurants. All can be neatly described as excesses and spends that can be done without. This sentiment will also impact categories like jewellery, clothing, apparel, skincare, makeup, entertainment.

19 / Pandemic has also acted as a jolt to professionals who were until now 'mostly talking' about investing in new skills, but not 'really investing' in them by discipline. With better options available for online learning, and a higher risk of losing jobs, attitudes will change.

20/ This is also a fresh lease of life for social media platforms that have been (in recent past) struggling to keep consumer attention and overall retention. Content consumption will be at all-time high and such tools will help people stay connected to each other. Significant.