Coronavirus concerns may boost ecommerce, study shows

A survey from British international Internet-based market research and data analytics firm, YouGov suggests that COVID–19 concerns may boost e-commerce as consumers avoid going to stores.

The newest strain of the coronavirus has impacted several nations across the world. Unsurprisingly, the pandemic has significantly affected consumers’ shopping habits. But how?

To answer this question, YouGov, conducted a survey. Here’s the major takeaway.

COVID-19 Concerns: Fewer People are Going to Shopping Centers and Malls

The YouGov survey suggests that people are generally avoiding crowded public places. Roughly 85 percent of internet users in China said they’ve avoided crowded places in the last two weeks. Meanwhile, about 27 percent in the U.S. and 14 percent in the U.K. said the same.

What’s more, eight in 10 participants ages 60 and older said they were likely to avoid shopping malls and centers. That’s not surprising given that COVID-19 has hit older people the hardest, but it may have an unintended consequence on their shopping habits.

However, the outbreak also has an unintended consequence on consumers’ shopping habits.

eMarketer analyst, Mark Dolliver explained:

“Since older individuals are the ones for whom the virus has been most fatal, they may be especially likely to alter their behavior,” said eMarketer analyst Mark Dolliver. “This could mean more adoption of ecommerce, an area where they’ve been laggards. People whose attitude has been ‘I’d rather die than buy online’ may rethink this if they feel going to crowded, germy stores truly could kill them.”

“This could mean more adoption of e-commerce, an area where they’ve been laggards. People whose attitude has been ‘I’d rather die than buy online’ may rethink this if they feel going to crowded, germy stores truly could kill them.”

“The combination of supply shocks and demand shocks due to the novel coronavirus means the situation is more complex and faster-moving than ever before,” says eMarketer analyst Nicole Perrin. “Advertisers need to be on top of their supply chains as well as the latest news driving consumer behaviors.”