The rise of e-commerce during the COVID-19 crisis

When looking into the current statistics around the growth of online sales, we can clearly see how e-commerce has experienced an incredible spike during the lockdown. In fact, according to a study, there is an annual online revenue increase of more than 15% since April 2020, some businesses have seen a 50% growth. But who are the greatest winners in this unexpected scenario? Can we see it carrying on long term?

The greatest winners

According to Larisha McGurty, Head of Marketing at Parcel2Go “the COVID-19 Pandemic turned parcel delivery into an essential service (…) In the current climate, customers feel safe shopping online and it is likely that these habits, whether it is buying essentials, treating yourself or even buying a gift for a relative will continue for the foreseeable future.”

Indeed, delivery services have seen an amazing uplift during the pandemic, people have spent less time in the high-streets and more time shopping online for clothing, food and furniture. In fact, many restaurants decided to turn themselves into takeaways (42%) and even plan on keeping it that way post-lockdown as it was so successful. Food delivery is actually up 11.5% versus last year in the UK.

The gaming and technology sectors are also booming thanks to businesses and schools having to move everything online. But also, friends and family using technology as a way to socialise. Meanwhile, the gaming industry is also thriving, people are spending more time at home and can therefore play video games more often than before.

Future trends

In the coming years, we can expect the delivery, gaming and technology industry to keep thriving and also to keep up this momentum as more and more industries are digitalising. As many employers have realised that working from home is viable, it may soon become the new normal across the globe. We also expect more businesses to offer their goods and services online. On the other hand, it will not be surprising to see a massive decline in “high street shopping”, in fact, according to Springboard research, “the number of people visiting shops over the Christmas period will be 62% down on the same time last year”. However, Black Friday is expected to be bigger than ever.

The second-hand market has also seen a great growth during the pandemic. More people and businesses are turning to sustainability and turning away from high street fashions. For example, Depop has had more than double its usual sales during the Covid-19 lockdowns.

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