Food searches in Google vary from state to state in India, shows data

Chinese is the most searched food category in Bengal, while ice creams top the list in Madhya Pradesh. And in Haryana, it is Thai food which is the favourite. 

Believe it or not, searches on Google for food vary from state to state based on data shared by the US company in the India Consumer Forum organised by Kotak Institutional Equities this month.

Google’s data throws numerous interesting consumer insights. Share of metros in Google searches has come down to 36 per cent from 45 per cent prior to the entry of Reliance Jio. This is clearly a reflection of the proliferation of data after tariffs dropped manifold. And, as much as 28 per cent of the searches on the Google app are voice based.

According to the data, FMCG sales through e-commerce globally is 5 per cent but India is far behind at 1 per cent. The search engine estimates it will touch the 5 per cent-mark by 2020.

The penetration of e-commerce, of course, varies from product to product. So, there are many low-penetration categories like dairy, soft drinks, and confectionery in which only 1-3 per sales are through e-commerce. 

The products with high penetration (7-10 per cent) include baby care, female hygiene, vitamins and herbals along with weight management products. At the top are products like skincare, colour cosmetics and fragrances, where penetration is more than 10 per cent.

In terms of categories of what consumers are looking for, Google gets over 2.3 billion searches per annum on food in which the top three include desserts, fruits and vegetables as well as chocolates and candies, clearly pointing to the fact that Indians have a sweet tooth. This is followed by searches on hair care (750 million) and skin care (650 million). According to the survey, in October 2018, about 41 per cent of consumers got information about skincare through online searches.  

Nielsen, the other participant in the forum, projects that mid-to-high income class ($15,000 per annum) would account for two thirds of urban India searches by 2030, compared to 51 per cent now.

Besides, India will have a large ageing population. As much as 8 per cent of the population will be above 60 years by 2030. On an absolute basis, this means 120 million senior citizen customers, which is more than the aggregate ageing population of Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, and Indonesia.

Nielsen also says media access is growing. Between 2014 and 2017, population with no media access has come down from 30 per cent to 20 per cent.