Firms ride e-shopping wave

Consumer habits developed in lockdown will not go away, with online purchases set to grow

The new consumer habits the pandemic has created are here to stay, at least for most of the consumers who are picking them up during lockdown.

Some of the habits originally expected to be adopted within three years by a large part of the population, such as buying groceries online, were in fact adopted within a few days and now are considered routine for many Greeks.

According to Convert Group data, over the third quarter of 2020, when there were hardly any restrictions on going out and coronavirus cases in Greece were falling, online supermarket sales posted a year-on-year rise of 183%. It is estimated that by end-2020, e-shopping on supermarket websites will have more than doubled compared to last year to exceed €100 million.

According to a survey by Krataion Consulting, under the auspices of the Greek eCommerce

Association (GRECA), 16% of consumers made their first online purchases after the pandemic broke out. There is also an average 6.4% increase in the frequency of internet shopping across all sectors, with 60% of consumers stating they continue to buy from electronic stores in all categories.

Besides the fear of contracting the virus, consumers have stayed online for their purchases having realized they can do more extensive market research, find better prices, make more targeted purchases and order the products they want, whenever they want.

The new habits and conditions are also accelerating the digital transformation of enterprises, which do not want to miss out on progress. Any investments and actions planned for the next two to three years have been accelerated in recent months, with traditional food retailers developing online supermarket, other retailers expanding their logistics facilities and distribution centers, and small and medium-sized trading companies utilizing local and global electronic marketplaces (Public, Skroutz, eBay etc) to promote their merchandise.

Virtual shopping windows are also in fashion, such as the solution offered by VitrinaBox, that Ikea Intersport and Sketchers have already taken up.