Pandemic has seen an online shopping boom
LOCKDOWN has led to the UK becoming a nation of online shoppers – with millions planning to continue their digital spending despite restrictions lifting.
A study of 2,000 adults found 61% shopped online more than usual during lockdown, with a staggering nine in 10 planning to shop as much online, if not more from now on.
Groceries, and home and garden products were at the forefront of items purchased online, with 41% of adults making at least one of these purchases during lockdown. Three fifths of the adults polled now plan to buy groceries online in the future, with sales figures of meal kits purchased over the internet soaring by 114% when people were urged to stay indoors.
Stefano Rossi, who is packaging CEO at packaging firm DS Smith, which commissioned the research, said: “There has been a seismic shift in the way consumers are shopping.
“What’s clear is that as lockdown eases further, these trends aren’t likely to fall away.
“Consumers have found new confidence and convenience in the way they shop, buying a whole range of items online – everything from the family food shop, to toiletries and home and garden products. If companies are not already transforming their business to meet this new age of e-commerce, they risk being left behind.”
The study also found shoppers are buying in new ways and from new suppliers. Nearly a third signed up to a shopping website they hadn’t used pre-lockdown.
DS Smith also saw packaging demand double for food, flowers, and hygiene products sold online since the start of the pandemic.
Reasons for buying online differed both by age and gender, with men and younger people prioritising convenience – while women and older generations focused on safety.