In March 2020, much of the world went into lockdown, forcing many businesses to temporarily shut down. Right now, cities are gradually relaxing restrictions, but the future is still uncertain. Even businesses that are reopening have restrictions enforcing social distancing, the wearing of masks, and limits on how many customers can enter a space at one time.
When traditional shopping becomes difficult, or may even be scary, people are increasingly inclined to shop online. The fact that consumers were already embracing E-Commerce platforms such as Lazada, Shopee and other online retailers with open arms made this transition considerably easier.
Factors that Will Continue to Drive Ecommerce Growth
Let's look at some of the reasons that customers are likely to continue shopping more and more online:
New shopping habits.
Due to quarantine, people's way of buying items has changed. The situation has persisted long enough for these patterns to become ingrained. Certainly, when stores open customers will venture out more. However, this doesn't mean they'll suddenly stop the fairly addictive, and comforting feeling of shopping online.
COVID-19 fears aren't going to disappear overnight.
Even when the quarantine ends, people will be cautious and many will still prefer shopping from the safety of their homes.
The rapid growth of mobile devices is making it easier than ever to browse and shop online.
Customers can place orders one-handed from the device that is likely in their hand or pocket at all times.
Even as some items became scarce in physical stores there were options for ordering online.
And things like toilet paper that became nonexistent in brick and mortar stores could be ordered or pre-ordered online.
Convenience, wide selection, and savings have spurred online retail since the beginning. This will continue exponentially as e-commerce becomes even more popular and competitive.
Customers Will Continue to Embrace Ecommerce
More and more, customers now appreciate the convenience of online shopping. While the restrictions imposed by COVID-19 may have made online shopping even more appealing, this is actually a long-term trend that's likely to continue well into the post-pandemic future. In order to make the most of this, businesses need to offer transparency, flexible policies, and convenient omni-channel solutions for shoppers.
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