According to recommendations to stay in the shelter because of the pandemic, online shopping crowded out an old-fashioned trip to the store. Besides the total growth in e-commerce spending, sales data highlights that after an initial stockpiling of goods, a lot of online buyers have turned their focus to entertainment products such as books and games as they adapt to the new format of life during the quarantine.
In the U.S. e-commerce spending amount is more than 30% from the beginning of March through mid-April compared with the same period last year, according to market research. That shows considerable growth — about 50% more — than the annual 20% growth in online shopping has become accustomed to seeing in recent years.
This snapshot of the economy shows a picture of both what people are buying and how customer’s priorities have shifted throughout the extended quarantine period.
Who sees a coronavirus as a unique business opportunity?
Grocery stores are experiencing buying patterns shift. Before, only 4% of Americans were shopping online, according to Nielsen. Now, during coronavirus outbreak average daily downloads of grocery apps increased by 218%, 160%, and 124% (Instacart, Walmart and Shipt).
The situation with food delivery apps tends to be almost the same as grocery apps.
Health & safety products rightfully became the most wanted on the market. Medical supply, rubbing alcohol, bath & shower wipes, first aid kits demand has grown for +85.3%, +65.5%, +59.6% and +52.3% accordingly (U.S. sales % growth vs. year ago).
There are a lot of opportunities to use in e-commerce right now if you are an offline store owner so you need to make your business digital by creating your app. Besides, don’t forget about related spheres like delivery and logistics. There are growing rapidly sectors that also need a great digital solution to optimize time and costs for delivering orders.
To Conclude
Ecommerce would need time for recovery. Smaller companies would take a hit, while big monopolies would stay afloat and dominate the market.
As we are all creatures of habit, it is easy to conclude that the patterns we’re accumulating now could remain even after a coronavirus pandemic. A tendency to buy online is about to stay in buyers’ minds. People are gonna be itching to buy online as the pandemic slows down. As nobody would be doing massive shopping during the virus, the needs would probably accumulate by the end.
Now, as lots of us rely on online shopping, brands and retailers face a test of coping with increased demand, starting from managing the supply of raw materials and manufacturing to delivering ready goods, etc. In times of crisis, it is important to know how to use automation tools. The faster you operate — the more facial masks you sell!
We do care about companies who fight for life during the crisis. So we offer up to 20% discount on app development. This is a good chance to bring your business online, save costs on the development, and use quarantine for your benefit. Stay safe and let us take care of your business!
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