It has been more than a year since the outbreak of COVID-19 and the most populous region of the world is yet to find its way out of the health and economic crisis. While many nations have contained the health crisis, some are still facing the brunt of second and third waves.
At the beginning of 2021, major countries in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region—Australia, China, India, Japan and South Korea—appeared to be winning the war against COVID-19 as the number of new cases came down and economic activity picked up. However, this recovery was short-lived for India as it saw the start of a second wave of infections in February and the situation worsened by April. The seven million cases in April accounted for more than one-third of the total cases since the start of the pandemic in 2020. 1 India’s experience is comparable to the second waves seen in many European countries, but on a much greater scale.
The impact of COVID-19 on consumers varies between countries and it is necessary to understand how each responds to the crisis in order to predict how fast they will emerge out of the economic downturn. To analyse these changing consumer sentiments and trends, Deloitte has been conducting a series of monthly surveys around the globe. 2
About Deloitte’s State of the Consumer Tracker
Deloitte’s monthly Consumer Tracker survey monitors the attitudes and behaviours of consumers in 18 countries including five APAC countries—Australia, China, India, Japan and South Korea—based on replies from 1,000 consumers in each country. The aim of our Tracker is to make regular comparisons between consumer markets in each of these countries and highlight any similarities and differences between them.
Each month we focus on particular issues, but we also identify trends in consumer behaviour in response to changes in market conditions. This month’s survey looks at consumer concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and how this may be affecting choices about spending. The findings are based on responses to our survey conducted during 22-28 April 2021.
Key findings from our latest survey
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