COVID-19 hit us and hit us hard. And yet, individuals and businesses alike have risen to the challenge and adapted, as usual. What with social distancing and non-essential shops having to close, many of us have turned to online shopping in the past couple of months. Ergo, a lot of businesses have had to rely instead on their eCommerce platforms.
A Rise in eCommerce
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the resulting lockdowns and “stay home, stay safe” measures quickly made their impact on the eCommerce sector. Between January and March 2020, traffic to retail platforms increased by 6% worldwide, with eCommerce traffic rising from 12.81 billion to 14.34 billion visits.
Those who have tried going to the supermarket for food and other essential items will have seen the very long queues of people. (Standing 6 feet apart, of course.) Others, meanwhile, have joined the digital queue for a delivery timeslot. By now, more than ever before, people are buying their essentials online.
What Have Consumers Been Buying?
But it’s not just the essentials. As well as food and supplies, other categories of products have received more spending since the coronavirus impact. According to the Salesforce Shopping Index for Q1 2020, spending has risen from last year on home goods (by 51%), active apparel (31%) and toys and learning (34%).
How Businesses Are Responding
Not only have consumers shifted online, but businesses have shifted accordingly. For example, the Heinz company promptly created their Heinz to Home website delivering Heinz products directly to consumers.
This could be the start of a permanent shift in consumer buying behaviour. As more individuals have accustomed themselves to online shopping, so might they use it more even when all the shops are open again. Moving forward, businesses need to keep with the times. Even when COVID-19 is over, they may need to keep some of that extra focus on their eCommerce platforms.
If you’re looking to deliver your products from an eCommerce platform, during COVID-19 and beyond, then with good eCommerce comes efficient e-fulfilment.
To find out more about how we can help your business embrace eCommerce, visit our e-Fulfilment and Kitting page.
