Many people are looking forward to cut in fuel prices, says Axis My India monthly Consumer Sentiment Index survey

MUMBAI, July 4 (The CONNECT) - Working people have started looking out for early retirement options due to workplaces pressure and “overbearing challenges”, a survey shows.

About 13% are leaning towards an early retirement, Axis My India, a leading consumer data intelligence company, says in its latest findings of the India Consumer Sentiment Index (CSI), a monthly analysis of consumer perception on a wide range of issues.

The survey evaluated consumers’ views on the reduction of fuel prices announced by the government. The survey discovered that 50% believe that the petrol and diesel cost should be further reduced, while 16% are not at all satisfied. Conversely 22% are aligned and happy with this reduced rate.

Gauging consumer’s excitement around ‘cinema hall experience’ the Consumer Sentiment survey discovered that more than 10% have started going to movie theatres/halls for watching new films. However, 90% are still apprehensive of the same.

The July report reveals that the consumption of both essentials & non-essentials continued to dip, a trend seen in the last three months. This month’s survey moreover discloses respondents’ sentiments towards reduced fuel prices and reasons for seeking an early retirement.  

The survey was carried out via Computer-Aided Telephonic Interviews with a sample size of 10409 people across 35 states & UT’s. 70% belonged to rural India, while 30% belonged to urban counterparts. In terms of regional spread, 24% of each belonged to Northern and Eastern parts while 29% and 23% belonged to Western and Southern parts of India respectively.  In addition, 63% of the respondents were male, while 37% were female. In terms of the two majority sample groups, 28% reflect the age group of 36YO to 50YO, while 21% reflect the age group of 26YO to 35YO.

Pradeep Gupta, Chairman & MD, Axis My India, said, “Overtime, consumer spending has reached a status quo bias where the keenness to increase consumption has been limited. This is mainly due to inflation and the after effects of pandemic which has made it difficult for consumers to see their nominal incomes recover to pre-pandemic levels. While in response to this the government has reduced the petrol and diesel prices, a major chunk of consumers are still looking for further ease.

Similarly in media, one can witness respondents suffering from consumption fatigue which could be related to innumerable choice of content, ease in mobility and the availability of experiencing ‘cinema’ etc. The craze around IPL persists across platforms but whether this excitement justifies its high media rights, time will tell. Digital viewership is on a high trajectory. In terms of consumption behaviour, a significant proportion of consumers are increasingly taking their purchase decision basis reputation of the brand with price as the 2nd key factor, which shows the growing maturity of Indian consumers,” Gupta said.

The survey dug deeper to understand factors that determine respondent’s purchase considerations. A majority of 57% consider the reputation of the brand as an important factor while purchasing from it while 31% further consider the price-point as vital factor. 8% said they are dependent on the availability of the product while 4% said that they consider advertising and marketing as important influencers for their decision.