Coronavirus in online stores: how does the pandemic affect online sales?
You can argue endlessly about how dangerous the coronavirus is, or prove that this is another fake, but one thing is clear: the pandemic has not gone without a trace for people and businesses: they have learned to work without leaving home , “go” to visit without leaving the apartment, and even celebrate a wedding celebration online.
What can we say about online shopping. It is worth noting that this area began to develop even before the famous pandemic, and the coronavirus only made some adjustments. This means that the fight against the virus did not turn Internet commerce into a growth zone, but increased the pace of development in this area.
The impact of coronavirus on the increase in online sales
According to the forecasts of the research agency Data Insight, sales in the Internet space from 2019 to 2024 should have grown to 5.6 billion rubles. And taking into account the impact of the pandemic and the self-isolation regime, this figure will already amount to 7.2 billion rubles. The growth of online sales is obvious.
Analysts of the agency are of the opinion that the following factors played a decisive role in the promotion of e-commerce:
- The first three months of self-isolation brought at least 10 million (!) people to online stores. And analysts believe that even after the restrictions are lifted, these people (most of them) will continue to shop in online stores without leaving their homes.
- Contribution to the development of online sales is made by the sale of consumer goods. Before the pandemic, this category was not considered too popular in the Internet space, as most citizens preferred to purchase food, personal care products, and the like in supermarkets. However, according to the results of the first half of 2020, online sales of essentials increased by more than 4 times compared to the same period last year.
- The pandemic has also caused shoppers to “leave” more money in online stores. In other words, those who used to buy online today have seriously expanded the range of goods purchased on these sites. And as long as there are restrictions on visiting crowded places, this trend will only grow.
- Remote work is another argument in favor of selling online. It is known that those who are transferred to the remote mode try to leave the metropolis and settle in a quiet place, closer to nature. Needless to say, this factor will certainly affect the development of online commerce in the regions.
The flagships of Russian online sales, Wildberries and Ozon, have experienced the impact of the pandemic on their own sites more acutely than others. During the second quarter of 2020, the number of buyers on Wildberries increased by 6 million registered users and amounted to 30 million people. And regular buyers on Ozon doubled at the peak of the pandemic compared to the same period last year. And more and more customers are striving not just to make a one-time purchase, but to subscribe to a premium service.
How have sales changed during the pandemic?
An interesting fact, if you pay attention to what products are in demand in the Internet space, then a kind of hit parade from Wildberries looks like this:
- in first place are stationery and books (sales increased 5 times);
- in second place are goods for the home and cottages (an increase of more than 3 times);
- toys in an honorable third place (sales of these goods increased by 2.5 times);
- in fourth place are beauty products (sales increased by 2 times).
Not the last role in the development of the online sales market was played by the actions of the Central Bank. Since for the period from April 15 to September 15, 2020, the commission for paying for goods and services with bank cards (acquiring) was reduced to 1%, the costs of companies for this procedure were reduced by 30%. As a result, the saved funds could be spent on developing logistics, improving the quality of customer service, and other areas of online trading development.
It is obvious that the coronavirus has seriously increased the level of sales in the virtual space. And, according to analysts, even after the pandemic, this growth will not stop. Ultimately, both offline sales and online sales have pros and cons. Which shopping to choose? Decide for each of us.
If, after reaching the end, you still have questions or want to share your thoughts, we invite you to leave a comment below so that the author of the article can personally answer.
