As sudden change in lifestyle due to Covid-19, has modified customer purchasing habits across segments ranging from FMCG, personal care, clothing to footwear. The transformation has also led producers to take creative approaches and broaden some product portfolio ranges to draw buyers and gain a competitive advantage.

The Indian footwear market is rising at a CAGR of 4.5% in India, according to recent reports; but due to the ongoing pandemic, consumer needs have changed in 2020. Flipkart, the homegrown Indian e-commerce player, noted some interesting trends on the website. The demand for athletic shoes has increased, with people are putting a greater emphasis on getting fit and safe.

Under the category of sports footwear, running shoes appeared as the top items checked, as the category also observed a 1.5X spike. With people continuing to stay indoors at most times, the preference for comfortable footwear is at an all-time high. Sandals and Slippers now constitute the top five searched queries under Men's footwear — a trend that has never been seen in the recent past. Additionally, slippers have taken precedence over heels on the platform, becoming the most searched vertical under the women's footwear category.

"To fulfil these ever-evolving demands of consumers, Flipkart is continuously working with brands and sellers to ensure they are able to benefit from the opportunities that e-commerce presents. During the pandemic, we've been working closely with a growing number of national, international, and regionally-renowned fashion brands and sellers, in different ways," Nishit Garg, Vice President - Flipkart Fashion told IANSlife.

He further added, "This includes identifying opportunities for them to connect with consumers across India through our online marketplace, scale their online presence and diversify existing product portfolios. This is being facilitated through an insightful collaboration which is based on a very deep consumer understanding. This approach has enabled our partners to strengthen their business, while reaping the benefits of e-commerce in a fair online marketplace."

Bata Ltd, India's top retailer of footwear, is also opening stores in smaller cities and towns through franchise partners, as demand has recovered faster in rural areas than in the metros. Nearly 30 new stores have been added since the lockdown, and an additional 35-40 are in the pipeline, Bata India CEO Sandeep Kataria said in an interview.

Bata has set out a plan to open 500 franchise stores in smaller cities by 2023 as it plans to deepen its pan-India retail network where it currently has 1,550 Bata-owned and franchised stores, apart from selling on e-commerce and working with thousands of multi-brand footwear dealer stores.

Kataria said while more consumers have started to visit Bata stores, they are spending on a certain type of footwear like sandals, casual footwear and active footwear which continue to be in demand.