As the world reels from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a huge shift from in-person to online shopping. Even though online shopping was prevalent pre-pandemic, it has skyrocketed in the past several months with the majority of the population leaning towards procuring things online. While movie theatres, gyms, parks etc. have shut down, online shopping and food delivery are thriving like never before and consumers consider it a saving grace.
During the lockdown, the concept of dining out became redundant and this created a perfect environment for food delivery. With their restaurants shutting down, the owners needed to come up with a way to generate income and hence a lot of restaurants opened up the option of food delivery, either directly or through a third-party delivery service. Lakhs of people started ordering food online everyday and nothing compared to the ease of ordering food in a couple of clicks and without even having to step out of the house.
Even when the restrictions eased, there was no apparent decrease in the number of people ordering food online because it saved so much time and energy.
E-commerce giants like Amazon reported record profits amidst the pandemic with its stock price increasing by almost 25%. It became an essential service for consumers at the height of the pandemic. Being offered eye-catching deals and discounts, consumers turned to Amazon for their pandemic needs, for products starting from masks and hand sanitizers to stocking up on groceries and household supplies.
As much as big e-commerce companies flourished, the pandemic also gave opportunities for small entrepreneurs and local businesses to transform their services and extend them online. With a lot of jobs being affected, people have started new businesses to earn some extra income through online marketing and sales. These businesses which include thrift shops, handmade products, pet products, virtual workout classes, etc., are being catapulted to success due to its online nature and wide reach. Even grocery stores have opened up the option to shop online, saving us so much time and energy that people don’t need to step out of the house for anything at all.
The coronavirus has been around for so long now it has created a new normal for us in terms of online shopping thus changing online shopping behaviour forever.
Consumers have stated that they will continue shopping online post-pandemic due to the ease of it, where anything you need is online and you can check out in a click. In a way, the pandemic has created a new normal for online shopping and has truly accelerated digital transformation.
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