PayU, India’s leading online payments solution provider, has mapped the impact of COVID-19 & lockdown as seen through a year-on-year change in digital payments. The pandemic gave a huge boost to online payments, seen in the 24% increase in the number of transactions and 23% increase in expenditure across the PayU platform, year-on-year. Interestingly, during the festive season (October-December 2020) there was a 45% spike in the number of online transactions vis-a-vis the same period in the previous year. In line with this trend, PayU processed close to 100 million transactions in a single month during the festive period (15 October-15 November 2020).
The number of UPI transactions grew by 288% and expenditure through UPI grew a phenomenal 331% between 2019 and 2020.
Indoor Entertainment Received Boost
As theatres and offline entertainment avenues remained shut, consumers turned to indoor entertainment. The OTT segment witnessed an incredible 144% increase in the number of transactions and a 139% increase in expenditure between 2019 and 2020. The gaming segment saw a phenomenal 100% increase in expenditure and a 154% increase in average ticket size between the two years. The ticket size increase, despite a decrease in the number of transactions, could be because consumers shifted from multiple small transactions to single large transactions as gaming became a permanent lifestyle feature. For gaming and entertainment, the number of transactions made at night increased by 34% while the number of transaction made during the day decreased by 11% in 2020 vs. 2019, an indication of the increased dependence on indoor entertainment while working from home.
Travel & Food Witness Deceleration
Travel and hospitality were some of the most impacted sectors with an 86% drop in the number of transactions and expenditure between pre and post-COVID quarters (Jan-March vs. April-June 2020). Compared to ’19, there was a 46% drop in the number of transactions and a 52% in drop in expenditure in ’20.
The impact of the pandemic on online food aggregators was mixed. While the number of transactions declined by 28%, expenditure increased by 22% and the average ticket size increased by a phenomenal 71%. This is possible because although fewer orders were placed, consumer-preferred to shop from more expensive, branded food outlets that could guarantee hygiene.
India Upskills, Education Goes Online
Edtech emerged as a winner, with a 78% increase in the number of transactions and a 44% increase in expenditure, within this period. The most likely explanations are professionals upskilling as they worked from home and students shifting to online education. In fact, the number of transactions for Edtech increased by an incredible 69% immediately after the lockdown (April-May 2020 vs. January-March 2020). Though the EdTech segment witnessed growth, the average ticket size reduced by 19%, possibly as course prices dropped in response to the surge in demand.
The Northeastern States See Accelerated Digitisation
India saw the increased digital activity as small merchants & consumers went online but the highest increase in the number of transactions was seen in India’s North-Eastern states – Nagaland (93%), Meghalaya (82%), Manipur (74%), Arunachal Pradesh (66%) and Tripura (63%).
Pandemic Boosts Ecommerce & Retail
In retail and eCommerce segments, there was a massive 106% increase in the number of transactions and a 124% increase in expenditure between the first and last six months of 2020. The most likely explanations are increased adoption by Indians, including older users and consumers from smaller towns, to enforce social distancing norms. It could also account for the 115% increase in the number of transactions and a 126% increase in expenditure between the October-December period in 2019 and 2020, as Indians mostly conducted their festive shopping online.
Protecting Against Risk
The number of transactions for financial services (lending, insurance and investment etc.) increased by 26% and expenditure increased by 31% year-on-year. In particular, investment & insurance witnessed a 59% increase in the number of transactions and expenditure saw a 53% increase as consumers sought risk protection during uncertain times.
Commenting on the insights report, Hemang Dattani, Head- Data Intelligence, PayU said, “As a leader in the Indian digital payments industry and the preferred partner for India’s largest online businesses, PayU has a unique vantage point in capturing evolving year-on-year trends. It is a pioneer in driving value addition for merchants and banks through data insights, offering targeted solutions that allow them to deepen customer engagement & create actionable business strategies. PayU is committed to partnering with merchants to facilitate the adoption of digital infrastructure.”
