NEW DELHI: India’s fast-moving consumer goods companies -- both big and small -- that have for years built expansive distribution networks through kirana shops and supermarkets said the covid-19 lockdown has given a fillip to online sales as shoppers stuck at home turned to buying essentials on the internet.
The share of e-commerce in sales of fast-moving consumer goods in India remains extremely small, with over 85% of sales coming from traditional retail that includes neighbourhood stores.
Online sales were a mere 2.8% of the overall sales for FMCG companies in the first quarter of 2020, according to estimates by market research agency Nielsen.