One of the consequences of the Covid-19 crisis is the significant increase in e-commerce: according to the consulting firm Nielsen, up to 81% more than in 2019. Due to the confinement, more and more people are encouraged to buy online for the first time and belgium telegram data companies, to keep their business alive, are accelerating their digitalization, the creation of their e-commerce , or integration into marketplaces .
According to a report by the Digital Advertising and Marketing Association, 22.5 million Spanish internet users between the ages of 16 and 70 make purchases online: a 7% increase compared to 2019. Before the pandemic, the consulting firm eMarketer predicted that Spain was the EU country with the highest estimated growth in e-commerce, boosted by the battle between the marketplaces Amazon and AliExpress to attract Spanish companies.
The change brought about by the health situation is more profound than a temporary increase in online shopping. Companies understand that these changes affect their entire business management system: from the supply chain to e-commerce sales. For example, the giant Inditex will invest €2.7 billion to double its online turnover. As for new e-commerce websites, most belong to retailers who are making the leap online to avoid relying solely on physical points of sale.
SMEs and marketplaces: new consumer habits
Covid-19 has permanently changed people’s way of life prior to March 2020, as well as their consumption habits (online and offline) of products and services. benefits of public relations in business According to the consulting firm Kantar, orders for food and basic necessities increased during the lockdown, whereas before the crisis they had not represented such a significant percentage. Sales also grew in sectors that sell products related to leisure and, in general, combating boredom, such as DIY, fitness, toys, gardening, and leisure.
AliExpress reports that between April 18 and June 21, more than 2,000 Spanish SMEs joined its platform. According to Amazon data, 1,350 of the Spanish companies present on its marketplace had sales of more than $1 million in 2019, and 1,000 stores surpassed half a million dollars in sales.
Online supermarkets and the distribution challenge
During the health crisis, many consumers stocked their pantries for the first time with online supermarket orders. The supermarket association Asedas reports that, during the COVID-19 crisis, the percentage of consumers who never buy food online decreased by 8%. However, according to the June 2020 Observatory on Electronic Commerce in Food, 69% of consumers surveyed prefer to buy fresh products in physical stores.
The consulting firm Kantar estimates that one fax database million Spanish households, double the number from a year ago, exceeded the forecasts of major companies in the sector, such as El Corte Inglés, Alcampo, Día, and Carrefour, which had to reorganize their logistics and modify delivery times to meet demand.
El Corte Inglés’s largest store is its website. El Corte Inglés increased its online sales fivefold and needed to open a new logistics center just to distribute food orders in Madrid and the surrounding area. The Mercadona group needed to invest €12 million to open a warehouse in Getafe and resolve a logistics bottleneck in Madrid due to the volume of online orders. In short: chain stores and supermarkets were already devoting resources to e-commerce, but Covid-19 has accelerated the process of expanding their e-commerce operations.