FOREWORD

FOREWORD
The last year has shown our immense
capacity for adjustments and unhesitant
flexibility in learning to coexist with the
virus. From holding back spends to the
returning to shopping malls and airports
with gusto, Indian consumers have adapted
to the ebbs and tides of the pandemic.
Preparing for exigencies went hand in hand
with recalibrating needs and striving to
build a fuller life. We are living in strange
Preeti Reddy times and are yet to get completely
Chairwoman - South Asia accustomed to the new way of living.
Nevertheless, there is a continuous effort to
Insights Division
do more and be more with the spirit of
‘Carpe Diem’ whenever possible. Along with
the conscious focus on care and safety,
there is a constant lookout for pockets of
enjoyment and social joy.

Locked in their homes and under

restrictions, Indian consumers have also
had a year of epiphany. They have realised
the value of self-care, mindful living and are
now seeking a more sustainable lifestyle.
Some old habits have been replaced
entirely, others adjusted, and the changes
are here to stay.

Our 2022 Annual Trends are borne out of

the insights we generate at Kantar, based
on our conversations with consumers across
the country, and help guide you through a
period of recovery and innovation.
 Kantar brings you

10
THEMES
that define how consumers
are preparing themselves
for 2022.
01
Going small
to live big
In earlier times, the big city fuelled
dreams and aspirations of the
youth and beckoned with the
promise to ‘make it big’. The same
city now seems stifling with
matchbox homes, chaotic traffic,
hectic schedules and cluttered
living. The urban trapped
millennials have been looking for
breathers in their busy corporate
lifestyles, often finding respite in
trips along unchartered tracks.
The lockdown and the opportunity
of working from home has
allowed them to consider an
alternate to the city humdrum. As
companies chose remote working
as ‘business as usual’, the service
sector employees chose to move
‘back home’ to smaller towns.
What might have started as a
prudent decision to save high rent
expenses eventually seems to
have translated into a more
longer-term lifestyle adjustment.
There is a conscious effort to
recalibrate needs and wants as
*59% believe that the pandemic
helped them be more
appreciative of what they already
have. Many are stepping away
from the tiring race to success
and charting their own path for
professional fulfilment, often
trading off a heavier pay cheque
for a fuller life.
Much of the infrastructural
development in India has been
metro centric. The current trend
offers a unique opportunity to
reimagine our cities, our
infrastructure, and mobility.
Brands, on the other hand need to
reinforce supply chains to avoid
losing customers due to last mile
connectivity gaps.
(*Source: NICS 2021)
02
Seeking assurance
in ‘ghar jaisa’
khana
The pandemic has made
consumers painfully sensitive
about the importance of health
and immunity. A more focused
approach to individual health
requirements, an increasing
appreciation of the traditional
diets and a growing interest in the
functional benefits of our familiar
kitchen ingredients are triggering
conscious food choices.
Consumers are seeking comfort in
familiarity, especially in the times
of turbulence. They are more
mindful of what they eat and are
willing to make an effort to table
fresher meals, *72% prefer fresh
home cooked food than the
packaged with the fear of
preservatives. If the meals are not
from their own kitchen, they
would prefer it from someone
else’s to be assured of the hygiene
and quality of ingredients, thus
making home chefs a rage.
‘Bahar ka khana’ is not yet
worry-free as *44% do not feel
safe ordering food online these
days. At the same time there is a
growing awareness about mindful
eating rituals such as slow eating,
appreciation of what’s on the
plate and a deeper consciousness
of the emotional connect with
food.
With increasing importance to
freshly cooked meals, consumers
would be open to kitchen
solutions in terms of ingredients or
appliances that make
‘home-made’ easier. Additionally,
the affinity towards ‘home like
food’ will also guide what the food
industry will offer in terms of
offerings on restaurant menus.
(*Source: NICS 2021)
03
Proactive
upskilling
According to the World Economic
Forum, while the rapid evolution
of machines in the workplace will
displace 75 million jobs by 2022, it
will also create 133 million new
roles. As companies have been on
their accelerated journey of digital
transformation, the moot
question has been whether the
Indian workforce is ready for this
change.
Constant learning has become an
imperative for workers to adapt to
changing times and stay relevant.
Through this volatility, upskilling
has become the new insurance
cover in the job market, ensuring
stability in an unpredictable
workplace disrupted by
technology. Proactive
self-learning through online
courses has become the new
(*Source: Simplilearn’s State of Upskilling in 2021)
norm for working professionals
trying to stay employable as well
as students gearing up to join the
work force. *65% of learners
upskilled to strengthen career
prospects and *33% of learners
were senior-level professionals. As
both freshers and experienced
employees become more
conscious of the skill gap and lean
in to bridge it, enrolments into
online courses continue to
exponentially grow.
Proactive and consistent training
and development led by
employers will be increasingly
critical, not only to keep the
workforce equipped for the
changing workplace, but also to
ensure that employees are
engaged and invested in the
evolving business imperatives of
the organisation.
04
Exercising
autonomy
through gig work
The Indian freelance job market
gained rapid acceleration with the
pandemic induced job instability.
However, what started as a
necessity, is now a carefully
considered choice for many. The
comfort of flexible work schedules,
coupled with an apathy for the
corporate workstyle has been
holding freelancers from going back
to full-time employment.
On the other hand, the Great
Resignation of the West is showing
signs in India too. ***62% of India’s
workforce has the intention of
switching jobs this year, compared
to an average of ***41% globally.
Most gig workers value the potential
for higher earnings and flexible
timings in their choice of work and
are happy to trade off a steady
(*Source: BSG Report; Unlocking the Potential of the Gig Economy in India 2021
income and job stability in the
bargain. Women looking for
employment after a sabbatical have
found freelancing to be the
much-needed bridge to join back
the workforce. The nature of
freelance work has also evolved and
gig working is not limited to factory
or support function jobs. **70% of
the Indian freelancers on their
platform were working in core
management functions.
With 15 million freelancers, India is
already the second largest gig
market in the world. In the long
term, the Indian gig economy has
the potential to service up to *90
million jobs in India’s non-farm
economy. India Inc. should make the
most of this opportunity to absorb
diverse work force and let them
contribute professionally while taking
care of their personal comfort.
**Source: Flexingit Survey, 2021
***Source: Microsoft’s 2021 Work Trend Index)
05
Shrinking
personal space
with remote work
Working from home had started
with the promise of more comfort
with workdays without travel and
meetings without formals. Very
soon this advantage was turned
on its head as lines between work
and personal life started blurring.
Work expected you to be always
on call and home assumed you
were never away. Though remote
work was expected to improve
employee productivity, there is
mounting evidence of increased
burnout.
**1 in 3 professionals in India feel
burnt out due to increased
workload and unmanageable
stress. Professionals are seeking
their personal space that has
been squeezed between the
responsibilities of home and work
and they are looking forward to
*Source: Future of Work Perception Study by LinkedIn, 2021)
coming back to their workplace.
*57% feel that commuting to
their place of work would be a
welcome relief after months of
working from home.
Corporate India has already taken
cognizance of this situation and
there have been measures to ease
life in these times for employees.
While focus has been on making
work from home more convenient
through virtual workplaces,
organisations will also need to
start rethinking their entire work
models, culture, and values to
ensure better mental health
amongst the workforce.
Employees are also learning to
draw a line between personal and
professional while operating from
the same physical space.
(*Source: NICS 2021
06
Yearning
to get away
from home
Tired of being cooped up in their
homes with social distancing
norms, travel restrictions, people
have been aching to step out of
their homes. With the easing of
mobility restrictions, restaurants are
witnessing rising footfalls as Indian
consumers making frequent visits to
their favourite restaurants. Not only
are consumers keen to experience a
refreshing restaurant ambience
rather than ordering in, the average
order values have increased by
*20%. Work from home restrictive
lifestyles have also allowed some
more disposable income which
consumers are glad to spend
outdoors as evident in luxury dining
increasing by as much as *120%.
Lockdown fatigue had resulted in
strong pent-up demand which is
fuelling unique trends of ‘getting
away from home’. Travellers have
started to rekindle their travel plans
through weekend getaways and
similar convenient means to escape
from the challenging life of
work-from-home stifling schedules.
Considering the renewed emphasis
on personal control over cleanliness
and hygiene, travelers are looking
for nearby locations for road trips.
Staycations are also an emerging
trend where people are checking
into at luxurious hotels to
rejuvenate themselves with a
pampered weekend.
With varying rules of social
distancing as we witness new waves
of the pandemic, consumers will
learn to switch on and switch off
their social lives but would always
yearn to step out. As consumers
continue to seek respite from house
arrest yet again, by planning for
getaways, dropping into restaurants
for a meal or even choosing to work
from coffee shops, the reassurance
of sanitation and hygiene-related
measures such us fully vaccinated
staff would ensure that they keep
coming back.
(*Source: Report by Dineout)
07
Instagram
is the new store
Fuelled by India’s fast growing
smartphone penetration and
inexpensive data, social media
access and engagement has
been steadily growing. As the
pandemic further accelerated the
growth of the e-commerce, social
commerce has emerged as a
favoured means of online
shopping.
Making a purchase on social
media has brought back the
element of the shopping
experience that shoppers miss in
the online store environment.
Discussions, direct messaging and
video sharing features make
social commerce closer to
shopping in person. Consequently,
social chatter is fast becoming an
active driver of brand choice;
while advertising manages to
influence *38% towards a brand,
*41% tend to be swayed by
comments or reviews posted on
social media. Riding on social
word-of-mouth, today there are
social commerce shoppers,
account for **53% of total online
shoppers in India.
Stepping ahead of dynamic
customer engagement, social
commerce has proved to be an
effective and affordable channel
for smaller businesses. This
channel has also presented a
cost-effective alternative for
larger businesses and brands
reeling under the pressure of
mounting customer acquisition
costs and struggling to protect
these precious customers from
competitors wooing them
endlessly with deep discounts.
(*Source: NICS 2021
**Source: Report by WATConsult, Isobar)
08
Beauty goes
beyond
skin deep
The pandemic brought hand
hygiene to the forefront where
consumers reacted out of fear
without having the time or
opportunity to make well thought
through choices. The scenario
however is vastly different today
with consumers making well
researched choices in personal care
and are realising its significance of
self-care more than ever.
With virtual workplaces and limited
social engagement, there is no mad
rush to show up looking one’s best
and people are moving towards a
more sustainable self-care practice
grounded in nature, health and
wellness. There is an increasing
positive disposition towards slowing
down through daily self-care rituals.
A stark contrast to the fast-paced
world of the beauty industry that
sells us quick fixes, cover ups and
immediate results.
Consumers have become extremely
conscious about taking care of their
bodies, and not just for the purpose
of looking good. Fewer people are
insisting on stepping out of home
with make up (*30% vs. *49% last
year) and declining interest towards
cosmetic surgeries (*17% vs. *48%
last year). The millennials especially
have become acutely conscious of
the long-term benefits of personal
care regimes. What started as an
obsession for sanitisers and
hand-washes, has now gradually
moved towards conscious choices of
personal care, personal hygiene and
wellness products.
Brands need to be cognizant of shift
in consumer choices towards
personal care and grooming and
cater to this growing affinity
towards sustained self-care through
their product solutions as well as
communication of benefits.
(*Source: NICS 2021)
09
True inclusion
finding a voice
among the youth
Consumers are being drawn
towards brands that embrace
diversity and advocate causes that
support social equity. The
generation Z, being at the forefront
of this movement, are evaluating
brands with a conscientious looking
glass. These globally connected
consumers are constantly
absorbing information and
influences to make brand choices.
They deeply value freedom of
expression and the openness to
accept different kinds of people
and bluntly call out brands for
stereotyping or alluding to any kind
of discrimination.
This generation is also taking active
steps to make a change around
them. *36% of Indian Gen Z
educated themselves on diversity
and inclusion matters and *37%
tried to educate and change the
(*Source: Delloite 2021 Millennial and Gen Z study)
views of those around them. *22%
of Gen Zs have boycotted a
company because they didn’t agree
to its views or actions.
There have been examples of inclusive
marketing countering stereotypes to
create a vision that consumers can
resonate with and embrace. There has
been a shift in advertising campaigns
featuring stories of real people told
with a sensitivity that has found
favour with consumers.
Brands looking to engage this
generation will need to extend their
efforts beyond mere lip service. Just
dressing brand communication with
diverse imagery will not be enough. To
stay relevant, brands need to embed
diversity in their organisational culture
as well as in their product
development endeavours.
10
Collective
consciousness
towards
sustainability
The pandemic has been a
wake-up call; consumers are now
acutely aware of the cumulative
damage caused to the
environment by human
carelessness and are eager to
‘make good.’ *76% pay lot of
attention to environmental and
societal issue in the news.
Increasing awareness and
heightened consciousness have
paved the way for more mindful
living where consumers are
seeking to coexist with nature and
the environment. *77% are
prepared to invest time and
money to support companies that
do good and while shopping *64%
consumers factor in sustainability
atleast once in a while.
Sustainable actions that people
(*Source: Kantar Sustainability Foundational Report 21)
are most willing to take today like
reducing food waste, saving energy
are those that have been part of
the Indian ethos for generations.
Yet, there are gaps between
intentions and actions as most
shoppers buying on autopilot are
focused on saving money rather
than the planet. Further, they don’t
often have enough information
about how sustainable products
are different and the impact they
make on our environment.
Brands can fuel these actions by
increasing awareness about the
use of green energy in their
production process, making it
easier to recycle, incentivizing
consumers and making it
convenient for them to buy
sustainable products.
2021 has been a year of discovery for consumers where there have learnt to find their
way in a fast-changing environment. No wonder the ‘how to’ search on Google has
been on an all-time high. As we learn to adjust in a world that changes often and
unpredictably, consumers would continue to seek more information from myriad
sources and will be armed with higher awareness. Brands would need to listen more
intently to consumers than ever before, be transparent in their promises and provide
solutions for their evolving needs.

Contact your local Kantar partner or write to chhavi.bhargava@kantar.com to know more.