E-commerce is here to save!

In the wake of shelter in place mandates around the world, non essential retailers are forced to shut their door s until social distancing measures ease. As a result, e-commerce demand is soaring.

According to a new “Global Shopping Index” report published by Salesforce, the number of unique digital shoppers rose 40% year over year.

This growth outperformed the pre-global pandemic 2019 holiday shopping season, which was viewed as very strong season.

Prior to the pandemic, attitudes towards shopping online had broadly clear distinctions between those for whom it was a matter of convenience whether it be groceries and staples or recreational items; and those for whom it was imperative to shop from physical markets and brick and mortar stores because they are a more active process. The contagiousness of Covid-19, and it's unrelenting increasing spread, has prompted people to explore online purchasing options for essential products and services, from the safety of their homes. Given that it supports the implementation of social distancing measures due to the limited amount of physical contact involved in availing the same, E-commerce seems to be the super hero for cities under lockdown.

Apart from the ‘safe shopping’ experience and access to essential products, e-commerce is also known to be benefiting or has potential to benefit farmers, by enabling them to by pass intermediaries and middle men, and sell their perishable produce directly to wholesale buyers such as corporate grocery stores, restaurants, agribusinesses etc. This provides benefits of enhanced income for farmers, along with reducing wastage and enabling financial inclusion.

However, the sector is also plagued with various challenges, traditional as well as new, which must be overcome in order to unlock the true potential of e-commerce during the pandemic and beyond!