1 week ago
India's Consumers Shift Selectively Back Toward Offline Transactions in 2026
A study looked at how people in India choose to pay and shop.
It found that people are not abandoning digital payments completely.
Instead, they choose online or offline methods depending on the activity.
More people paid bills in person in 2026 than in 2025.
Food purchases and bus and train ticket bookings also moved toward offline methods.
Retail payments were almost evenly divided between online and offline choices.
Borrowing money continued to become slightly more popular online.
Groceries and medicines were still usually bought offline.
The study suggests that convenience and familiarity matter more than always choosing digital payments.
Home Credit India's 2026 study found consumers increasingly favoring offline channels for several everyday transactions.
Offline bill-payment preference rose to 59% in 2026 from 43% in 2025, while online preference fell to 39%.
Retail payments became evenly split, with 49% preferring online and 49% offline channels in 2026.
Offline preferences increased for food transactions and bus and train bookings, reaching 73% and 72%, respectively.
Online loan-taking preference edged up to 51%, while groceries and medicines remained predominantly offline at 82% each.
- Who
- People in India aged 18 to 55, with surveyed respondents averaging ₹35,000 in monthly income.
- What
- The Great Indian Wallet 4.0 2026 study found selective shifts from digital to offline transactions, while online loan-taking continued to grow slightly.
- Where
- India.
- When
- The findings compare preferences in 2026 with those recorded in 2025.
- Why
- The study said consumers are choosing channels based on the transaction, convenience, familiarity, changing household routines, and potentially GST-era price changes.
Key facts
- Study
- The Great Indian Wallet 4.0 2026 by Home Credit India
- Respondent age
- 18 to 55 years
- Average monthly income
- ₹35,000
- Bill payments
- Offline preference rose from 43% in 2025 to 59% in 2026.
- Retail payments
- Online and offline preferences were both 49% in 2026.
- Food transactions
- Offline preference increased from 59% to 73%.
- Transport bookings
- Offline preference for bus and train tickets rose from 58% to 72%.
- Online loan-taking
- Preference increased from 50% in 2025 to 51% in 2026.
Quotes
The Great Indian Wallet 4.0 2026 study
A consumer payments study by Home Credit India
“After years of assumed digital-first momentum in utility and bill payments, this is a genuine reversal and one worth watching closely as GST-era price changes and shifting household routines potentially reshape how people prefer to settle their monthly obligations.”
livemint.com
“These small but consistent movements with the broader theme running through this year's channel data - India's lower middle class isn't rejecting digital, but it isn't defaulting to it either.”
livemint.com
Sources
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