The entire world is reeling under the impact of the novel Coronavirus pandemic posing a great danger to livelihoods and lives across the globe. As we speak, there are more than 4.5 million COVID-19 cases worldwide, out of which 1.5 million cases are there in America. While most people are in isolation at home and several offices in the US have asked their employees to work from home, the e-commerce sector is witnessing a sharp rise in demand.
With lockdown and social distancing the only solutions to keep away the Coronavirus, people are forced to stay indoors. In this case, people have two options – buy from local nearby stores or order online. With the former, people face the challenges of hoarding and products going out of stock due to panic buying. Amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there has been talk about the e-commerce sector facing challenges to meet the demands of the customers for groceries and other essentials. Many families in America are trying e-commerce platforms for the very first time. In order to avoid going to public places, there has been a paradigm shift in the mindset of people in America. People are switching over to online e-commerce shopping.
According to Adobe Analytics, the e-commerce industry in America has witnessed enormous changes during the Coronavirus pandemic in a relatively short period of time. The overall e-commerce sales has gone up by a whopping 25 percent. A study reveals that the online sales for groceries doubled in mid-March in comparison to the start of the month.
According to a survey by Apptopia, the average daily downloads of digital e-commerce apps such as Shipt, Instacart, and Walmart has witnessed a tremendous surge since February.
According to Statista, 51 percent of the US adults shopped more online in May 2020. Also, 52 percent of Americans avoided in-store shopping in March due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
COVID-19 Pandemic – Transforming the Digital E-commerce industry
The COVID-19 pandemic is rapidly changing the way people shop online. America is witnessing a rapid transition to digital e-commerce. With brick and mortar shops witnessing a sharp decline, this trend of buying goods from e-commerce stores is going to be there even after the pandemic is over. This is a positive news for the e-commerce businesses. While one may feel that this is a golden period for e-commerce businesses, the situation is not that simple as it appears to be. With the rapid surge in demand of products, even e-commerce companies are under pressure to deliver the goods on-time. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit e-commerce businesses as well. Some of the challenges faced by them include shortage of staff, products procurement, shortage of goods, shipping delays, etc. Well, amidst these challenges, there are a lot of golden opportunities for e-commerce firms.
There is a lot of manpower involved in the e-commerce industry. Right from managing the inventory in the warehouse to delivering the goods at the customer’s doorstep, manpower is involved.
Considering the present scenario, many e-commerce companies have taken a lot of steps to increase their efficiency and productivity.
- Keeping a cap on the goods that people can buy to avoid panic buying.
- Making customers aware about what it really takes on the part of e-commerce companies to deliver an order. Thus, encouraging users to buy only the things which they really need.
- Ensuring that the delivery agents take proper precautions to keep themselves as well as the customers safe during this pandemic.
One can understand that there is a lot of pressure on e-commerce companies during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is all about how they perceive it. They can take this as a difficult challenge or as a golden opportunity to expand their horizons.
Considering the shift in mindset of people from in-store buying to online shopping, it makes sense for business to invest in E-commerce website development. This will not only help them to stay in the competition but also open doors to more opportunities. By having an E-commerce portal, they can reach out to a wide range of target audience and expand their customer base.
So, what are you waiting for? Connect with Webarro that can help you set up an online e-commerce portal which can be effective to boost your sales online.
