How has Corona changed the world of online shopping?

 The Coronavirus has turned the world upside-down. Within a few months, a lot of unexpected things have happened. Various areas, such as education, business, and travel, have been affected to a great extent. The economies of several nations have suffered, and such countries are now trying to get back on their feet. Changes, big and small, are currently taking place in the world of shopping too. Buying and selling methods are now fully dependent on people's habits and practices. People resorted to panic buying during the pre-lockdown periods. Then, as governments began to relax the lockdown measures, revenge shopping started increasing.

By revenge shopping, we refer to the overindulgence in purchasing goods by customers who have missed out on their usual shopping because of the lockdowns.

First-time online shoppers are on the rise, and websites face consumer demands that have not been seen so far. Even if brick-and-mortar stores are reopening slowly, many customers are planning to continue with online shopping. 

According to a very recent survey, consumers are now witnessing a fall in income and are not that optimistic about their future. So, they have become more conscious about their expenditures. This scenario has forced consumers to resort to goods that are less expensive. 

The pandemic has led to various changes in the consumers' online shopping patterns, which have, in turn, resulted in notable changes on the sellers' side. Similarly, some differences have popped up on the sellers' websites. And these differences have had huge impacts on the consumers' methods of shopping.

Talking about online shopping, there is a well-known quote about it from a celebrity, and it goes like,

"Online shopping is always fun,

And you can easily get it done!"

Getting back to the business at hand, let us now discuss how Corona has changed the world of online shopping:

Increase in online orders

Just like the SARS outbreak in 2002, this Coronavirus has also dramatically modified people's shopping habits. During that outbreak, many people were afraid to shop outdoors, and the same is happening in the COVID-19 situation too.

There has been a notable, steep increase in online orders. The things that consumers usually purchase from the brick-and-mortar stores are now being ordered online. According to the survey done by a company, there has been a 25% increase in its page views during the pandemic. As per the data collected by another online survey, food items, beverages, toys, games, and other sports items are being ordered online, and these products have risen to the top ranks, both in terms of page views and order counts. 

People find it safer to shop online these days. Another beneficial aspect of shopping online is that they can shop from the luxury of their homes. 

For many people, online shopping fixes the problem of "getting ready" and "dressing up" before they venture outside to do their shopping!

Plus, you don't have to get outside your house and go pick that shiny new dress from the shop located far away from your place of stay. With a few clicks, it will be directly delivered at your door-step.

Unprecedented demands leading to restricted access

Many online shopping sites began to face unprecedented demands. This scenario stretched to such an extent that some of those sites started restricting access only to the existing customers! 

In many countries, Amazon, which is a leading e-Commerce company, began to prioritize the products that it sold. It started limiting its items to household staples, packaged foods, and other products associated with healthcare, hygiene, and personal safety.

Amazon has witnessed a surge in orders for several of its goods globally. It has now adopted the practice of increasing overtime pay for employees who work in its warehouses.

Changes in Brand loyalty 

The COVID-19 situation has resulted in many supply-chain disruptions. A number of brands have suffered because of these disruptions. If consumers are not able to get a preferred product from a retailer of their choice, they change their shopping behavior. They start trying a different brand, and hence there is a shift in brand loyalty. Consumers switch over to a different brand depending on value, availability, and quality.

When you are unable to get that particular hand-wash you have been using for years, you will change over to a hand-wash from another company. 

If you cannot get a product from the shopping site you normally visit, you will obviously access a different one and get that product delivered.

Free delivery and exchange offers

Despite the changes brought about by the Coronavirus, some people still wish to go to the nearby shops and buy their goods there. This is because they can touch and feel the products and bargain over the counter. In some countries, a majority of the B2C (Business to Consumer) e-Commerce retailers have started attracting customers to online shopping by offering discounts and other added benefits. For instance, some of the online shopping websites are now promising free delivery, buy-one-get-one-free, and exchange offers. People will obviously flock to such websites and retailers. This again, has resulted in increased online orders!

Extended return periods

Many of the online shopping sites have been altering their methods and periods of accepting return goods. Because of the coronavirus situation, several customers are in self-isolation. Hence, they are unable to return the items they have bought within the stipulated periods. So, sellers have been increasing the return timings. 

As far as delivery of the ordered items is concerned, many online sellers assure contactless delivery systems. They also sanitize the ordered goods. By using such hygienic measures, the sellers make everything safer and more comfortable for their customers.

So, we have talked about the notable changes that have been brought about in the world of online shopping by the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. If you are an avid online shopper, these changes will help you recognize various online shopping websites' characteristics. Based on that, you can alter your buying behavior.

If you are a person who orders a new gadget from a website and roams around restlessly until it is delivered, the above suggestions and changes in the online shopping world would have definitely helped you.