Impact of COVID-19 Crisis on the UPI usage by Street Vendors in Bengaluru

Abstract

COVID-19 – ‘Ringmaster of the crisis’, has brought in high tides, indicating massive fluctuations, in the world’s business activities. Amongst them, the most affected were the street vendors. Small shops, street vending and petty trading activities form the essential core of informal economic sectors in developing nations. During the pandemic, UPI featuring with contactless, swift, and hassle-free payments, has contributed to financial inclusion digitally, which in turn has resulted in small street vendors adapting to the same. The researchers have collected primary data from 50 street vendors within Bengaluru through personal interviews, employing a well-structured schedule of questions, and the timeline of data collected is relevant to the first wave of COVID-19. Similarly, secondary data was collected from news articles, journals, previously published research papers and other survey statistics for the same timeline. The collected data was tested using Cronbach's alpha and t-test through Microsoft excel. The collective outcome of the study revealed that the impact of the pandemic demonstrated a dominant upward trend in UPI usage by small street vendors within Bengaluru.