‘The pandemic has pushed us towards a cashless economy’ – 25 quotes of the week from India’s COVID-19 struggle

Launched in 2014, StoryBites is a weekly feature from YourStory, featuring notable quotable quotes in our articles of this past week (see the previous edition here). This special series of compilations focuses on India’s COVID-19 struggle. Share these quotes and excerpts with your networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights.

See also our pick of Top Quotes of 2021 on Entrepreneurship, Investment, Digital Transformation, Storytelling, The India Opportunity, Pandemic Resilience, Failure Recovery, Design, and Art.

The utilisation of drone technology is resolving issues plaguing modern healthcare including overcoming the barriers of COVID-19 vaccine delivery in far-flung areas. - Vikram Singh Meena, TechEagle

In the long run, the COVID-19 situation has the potential to shift consumer behaviour and focus on consumer health and wellness, perhaps driving up demand for skin health qualities, vitamins, mental well-being, mindful beauty, and at-home treatments. - Tanaya Sarma, Speaking Herbs

Awareness around healthcare helped generate greater demand and is also responsible for the recovery of the [healthcare products] business. - Sagar Patel, Vasu Healthcare

COVID-19 was terrible but has been a great accelerator in terms of what it has done to the medical device industry in India. - Anu Moturi, Kriya

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According to rough estimations, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted MSME incomes by 30 to 50 percent. - Utkarsh Gupta, Ramagya Mart

Owing to the lack of an online business model in the pandemic-driven era, several merchants and businesses like grocery stores, restaurants, salons, etc., have witnessed the biggest downturn in their operations. - Manish Kaushik, QPe

 [The pandemic] has acted as a catalyst for innovation with companies focusing on sustainability, to reassess the way they do businesses and how they interact with the environment. - Swapnil Kardile, Rajaram Bioenergy

Post-Covid, travel will be booming, and the demand for travel goods through ecommerce platforms is expected to grow exponentially. - Sudip Ghose, Uppercase

[Stay-at-home] inspired industries to build an online presence and reach out to their customer base virtually, especially the prediction gaming market to branch out with diversified features to keep users engaged. - Anton Rublievskyi, PMI

[The gaming] segment, overall, saw a 20 to 25 percent jump during the first lockdown. - Navkiran Singh, Baazi Games

A large percentage of millennials and Gen Z generation started opting for virtual and mobile real estate services. This resulted in the increased use of virtual tools like 3D and VR headsets in the early stages of buying or leasing to identify opportunities worth going after. - Vikram Kotnis Sell.do

The COVID-19 pandemic has made a huge impact on the teaching industry, bringing in a huge shift in the way learning and training are imparted. Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, robotics and science, and mathematics have all found appreciation. - Fatema Agarkar, ACE Sports Edu

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It was mainly during the pandemic that people started paying attention as this [pet category] fell under essential commodities. - Ashish Anthony, Just Dogs

We have noted a 16 percent growth this year as compared to last February. Given that the [auto] sector has been considerably impacted by the pandemic, this is a win implying more job creation and employment generation. - Sekhar Garisa, Monster

COVID-19 has accelerated the adoption of SaaS-based HR Management solutions by new age as well as traditional businesses. - Dinesh Agarwal, IndiaMART

We live in an increasingly VUCA environment and to survive in such a complex world, organisations need diversity of thought and the agility that comes with that diversity. - Anusha Rammohan, Myelin Foundry

A key theme that has emerged in India’s startup landscape, especially since the onset of the pandemic, has been digital acceleration. - Darius Pandole, JM Financial Investment

Laptops and mobile devices are becoming intrinsic to every household, especially in the work-from-home era. - Saaim Khan, UpScalio

The pandemic-induced remote work culture led to the successful adoption of coworking spaces. - Shyam Sundar Nagarajan, GoFloaters

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Strictly from the perspective of team bonding in hybrid work culture, enhancing cohesion within a multi-location based staff has become even more imperative for businesses in this era of the new normal. - Saransh Garg, Nova Benefits

It is easy for a woman to be taken for granted when working from home. - Ruby Tomar, HP

With COVID-19, there was a spike in interest in customer experience and differentiation from businesses. - Saksham Mendiratta, Lights Out Studio

The COVID-19 led lockdowns nudged millions of people to embrace digital modes for shopping. For many, it was their first point of engagement with digital payments. - Nitya Sharma, Simpl

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought fundamental changes in the way people shop and make their purchase decisions throughout India, and it’s now vital for merchants to provide customers with a hassle-free and convenient shopping experience. - Phil Pomford, FIS

The current pandemic has not just disrupted lives and livelihood but has affected our buying pattern when physical interaction gives way to virtual transactions. - Pranab K. Pani, Talendeate beyond Border

The pandemic has pushed us towards a cashless economy, and while pocket money and digital payment by kids are in their nascent stage in India right now, there is a huge potential. - Rajiv Dadlani, Rajiv Dadlani Group

YourStory has also published the pocketbook ‘Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups’ as a creative and motivational guide for innovators (downloadable as apps here: Apple, Android).