{"id":8783,"date":"2020-04-09T03:36:54","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T03:36:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qeretail.com\/blog\/?p=8783"},"modified":"2020-04-10T07:55:25","modified_gmt":"2020-04-10T07:55:25","slug":"covid-19-and-online-shopping-behavior","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.qeretail.com\/blog\/covid-19-and-online-shopping-behavior","title":{"rendered":"How COVID-19 Is Changing Online Shopping Behavior"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this turbulent facade of COVID-19, the world is changing! Between working from home, social distancing, staying-at-home, and panic buying, shopping behaviors of people are running errands. We have seen a dramatic increase in eCommerce sales, and experts say, this online shopping trend is here to stay!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

People are spending the recommendatory quarantine time in their homes. But, the scenario is not stopping them from buying online. In fact, there is a significant surge in online purchases! In this time of the pandemic, healthcare and essential goods are the two commodities that by no surprise can see a rise in sales. Nevertheless, there are other products too that are facing an influx. For starters, here\u2019s an <\/span>image by Shopify<\/span><\/a> depicting top trending product categories that saw growth in the last week of March 2020, compared to the last 30 days.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"corona<\/p>\n

eCommerce is shaping a new shopping arena for the world! Shoppers are considering the ease and security that online shopping provides like never before. Let\u2019s dig a little deeper into how the entire Coronavirus scenario is affecting the buying behavior of the shoppers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Star Player – Online Grocery Shopping<\/span><\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s start with the star player of the season (and of course necessity): Grocery! Anyone who has visited a grocery store over the past few days knows the coronavirus crisis has become a\u00a0 crucial challenge for these retailers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Consumers, fearing there might be lockdown orders, have been stocking up on essential, especially food products, and at the same time retailers are facing supply chain disbalance. And as the COVID-19 crisis continues, the ritual of grocery shopping is changing. More and more number of customers are turning to delivery, curbside, and buy online pick up at store (BOPIS) options to meet their needs during this period.<\/span><\/p>\n

As stated by <\/span>Digital Commerce 360<\/span><\/a>, online order volume from full-assortment grocery merchants rose considerably from March 12 through March 15, compared with the same period in 2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The dollar value of orders from full-assortment grocery merchants during these four days\u2014BOPIS and delivery\u2014was up 210.1%, while the number of orders grew 151.1%. For the period of Jan. 1 through March 15, sales increased 61.3% and the number of orders rose 57.6%, compared with the last year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"grocery<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all bright and sunny for online Grocery retailers. Local grocers, on the other hand, are going digital and struggling to keep their businesses running. Not to mention the community is coming together to help them out with extended eStore trial periods, ad credits, free domains, and donations, it is going to be challenging for the traditional vendors who have zero knowledge to all the online scenarios.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another speculation running amid the grocery shopping spike is whether this trend will outlast the pandemic or will die a quick death. Almost <\/span>47% of the U.S. consumers<\/span><\/a> admitted to shopping online groceries more during the week of March 2020, as compared to prior weeks. However, we could fairly consider this hike as a result of panic buying scenarios. Consumer shopping behavior is shifting, but is it going to last? Grocery and food items fall under a category of essential goods, which will always be in demand. Once people experience the ease of shopping online, either they will stick to it or will never return. It\u2019s up to the eStore owners to provide them with an image that lasts long in a good way.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Else Consumers Are Buying Online<\/span><\/h3>\n