The pandemic has reached the whole world and has brought with it a wide range of negative consequences, for human health, for the way society is organized, for the economy and for various sectors of activity. Even so, and with regard to our area of activity, it is important to remember the positive influence of COVID-19 on E-commerce, the area that saw the light at this darkest moment.
As we often hear, sometimes it’s possible to “find an opportunity in the midst of chaos”. This is what has happened in the e-commerce and online business sector.
What is the impact of Coronavirus on online stores?
Portugal and the world went into lockdown in mid-March as a result of the New Coronavirus. As a result of the mandatory lockdown recommended by the World Health Organization, we were forced to “live at home”, either in a Lay-Off or Teleworking regime. And what was to be expected has happened: consumers have started to spending more time onlinethey have access to news, to new forms of entertainment and, of course, to satisfy their basic needs.
That’s where the influence of COVID-19 on Ecommerce comes in. And the data speaks for itself. In Italy, March 8th was marked by the sharp growth in online sales. On that day, internet purchases registered a 90% increase compared to the same period last year. More surprising are the results in our country. According to a study carried out by Group M, the Portuguese registered a 513% increase in searches for online purchases – and that’s just in March! The sectors most sought after by the Portuguese population were entertainment and culture, food and retail, catering, food delivery and takeaway.
The importance of E-commerce for business
A lot of time online, more demand for goods and services via the internet, more revenue for digital businesses. This may be the formula that explains the importance of Ecommerce for today’s businessesin the most diverse sectors.
In fact, at the moment, the internet is the “window” that millions of people are using to discover a new world, given the current situations of confinement, teleworking regimes and the fear of resuming so-called normal life (such as going to restaurants, visiting stores, buying goods or booking services). It is therefore essential for business owners to bear in mind that there have been major changes in consumer behavior. That’s why it’s important to adapt to the changes in today’s world and keep up with new consumer trends, realizing that the customer can also come through Organic Search. Only in this way will they be able to cope with the consequences that COVID-19 has caused around the world.
Remember: a Online store has exclusive advantagesthese are highly competitive compared to the so-called traditional trade. Here are some of them:
- They are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year;
- They require little investment and have no fixed costs (no need to pay rent, salaries, cleaning services, water, electricity, among others);
- It improves the organization of the business (in terms of payments, back office, stock management or tracking deliveries);
- Open to the whole world, with no restrictions on local customers;
- Easier access to information – who they are, frequently asked questions, how they can help, shipping methods and payment methods;
- Online advertising is much cheaper than traditional advertising;
- They don’t involve additional costs for masks, visors, acrylics, alcohol gel, signs, among many other precautions that the new coronavirus has imposed;
- And above all, there are no limitations of physical contact or number of clients.
These are just a few of the advantages of online stores, which will certainly continue to outstrip physical stores as a result of the global pandemic in which we live.
