The COVID-19 pandemic saw the change not only in daily living and practices but more significantly in the E-Commerce industry. With countries around the world going on some form of lockdown, consumers were spending more time at home and consequently, more time online.
Online the new norm
The numbers don’t lie.
- Since May 2020, E-Commerce sales increased more than US50 billion.
- Buy online, pick-up in-store increased by almost 200% in May alone.
In Malaysia, April 2020 saw a 69% increase in daily parcel volume by POS Malaysia which is way higher than its daily average of 300,000 parcels delivered. Besides that:
- There was an increase in online shoppers who buy from the retail outlet’s E-commerce sites since the lockdown began.
- There was an average of 53% Malaysians who became online shoppers during the pandemic.
Food suppliers impacted
One of the biggest industries that were affected by the pandemic is food. Before the lockdown, names like Foodpanda and Grab Food were the leading brands for people ordering food from home. The lockdown saw more food sellers starting their own platforms as consumers do not dine in restaurants much any more.
Changing trends in consumer behaviour
Suffice to say, the way people are buying on E-Commerce has since changed tremendously. Before the pandemic, it was as straightforward as it comes but with the Coronanivirus, a few factors need to be considered.
- Health-related products are becoming more crucial. This includes preventive products like supplements as well as mandatory ones like hand sanitizers or face masks.
- Daily goods like groceries which was once an offline-preferred purchase option are now becoming a popular online demand.
- Stocking up of goods that might experience a shortage. Consumers are now buying more salt or sugar ‘JUST IN CASE’.
- Limiting visits to the stores or retail outlets because consumers have gotten too used to staying in and having products delivered to them.
