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Looking forward to shop in stores, or happy to continue shopping online?

With the heavy hit of the second wave, the corona pandemic has become the most important event defining our social lives and businesses. Restaurants, bars, theaters, gyms, and some retail shops have been shutting down in big cities. This has had a big impact on consumers’ shopping habits and accelerated digitalization.  

“The biggest challenge we have faced this year is of course to adapt to the constantly changing market which tries to reinvent itself. Market dynamics have been changing rapidly, and we have to accommodate that”.

“Retail environment and the interaction with the consumers had started changing already. Online shopping had started to pick, and the consumers had started demanding more direct interaction with the suppliers. Digitalization had already been an inevitable fact.  Corona has accelerated the process. It has also forced companies to be more effective, creative, and adaptive. It also restarted the spark of being an entrepreneur as we have to keep our creative and innovative mind-set” says Gilbert El Kalani, The CEO of DIFUZED.

Online shopping is booming and events like Black Friday, Christmas sales, Cyber Monday, and other online promos are expected to report records sales in the lead up to Christmas shopping.

36% of consumers shop online weekly since the rise of COVID-19, up from 28% pre-pandemic, according to new data from Digital Commerce 360. 29% of the respondents say they currently shop more online, whereas 35% have an even mix of online and in-store shopping.

What about after coronavirus subsides, though? 28% say they will continue to shop mostly online after the pandemic, with 39% saying they will shop both online and in-store, 24% saying they “can’t wait” to shop in-store, and 10% not sure. (**)

Are you one of those who say who cannot wait to shop in-store or will you continue shopping online?

*: Source: https://unctad.org/news/covid-19-has-changed-online-shopping-forever-survey-shows

**: Source: https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/article/coronavirus-impact-online-retail/