By the middle of 2020, our lives as we knew them had changed significantly. But how have things changed 18 months on?
The lockdowns that were so rampant last year have been lifted in most places outside of Auckland and restaurants, movie theatres and gyms have largely reopened.
Meanwhile, as you’ve probably seen in hundreds of posts on social media, many people are facing the challenges of going back to work while the virus (to varying degrees across the country and the world) is still a factor — or choosing to leave their jobs for a more remote-friendly company.
Despite those who call this the “post-COVID” era, the situation is still rapidly changing.
Covid-19 online shopping trends
Businesses have begun to see new shifts in the behaviour of their customers shopping habits, and those changes show signs of sticking.
The digital economy has boomed during the COVID-19 crisis. As people dealt with social distancing, they turned to online shopping more than ever before. 67% of consumers report they shop differently now due to COVID-19.
Retailers stepped up to the challenge, not just by supporting more online sales, but by embracing emerging technologies that created connections with shoppers or made their customer experience more convenient.
Grocery and food online retail soared during 2020 in a matter of months. As well as food, home goods and fitness products saw sales growth, too. Recreational goods spending increased by 18% due to increased spending on home gym equipment.
With the broad expansion of product categories shoppers are likely to order from online retailers, many companies have continued to grow their online business in 2021. These trends do now seem to be the “new normal”.
Social media shopping
Several social media platforms took advantage of higher online retail demand by adding more commerce features, enabling shoppers of participating online retailers to browse and purchase products without ever leaving the platform. These platforms are typically closely integrated with online shopping platforms so that ecommerce operators can easily promote their products in multiple places.
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