Festive shopping down, say industry observers

Vendors who cater to the demands of people during Ugadi prepare for loss of another season

For anyone who thought last year’s highly muted Ugadi was a one-off, a second wave of COVID-19 infections has ensured that yet another festival remains a sombre affair. For the vendors who cater to the demands of people during this festival, there is little cheer even though Ugadi is only a few days away. The quantum of festive shopping in the city is down by 50% (offline) and 30% (online) as the mood in retail markets remains dull because of the ‘second wave’ of the pandemic, say industry observers. “The reality is people always shopped more during festive seasons. However, this season has not seen normal volumes picking up. The overall mood is low and sombre as everybody has a friend or a family member who is affected by the virus,” said K. Vaitheeswaran, popularly known as the father of Indian e-commerce and also CEO of city-based AGAIN Drinks.