COVID-19 Accelerates the Rise in E-Commerce

The COVID-19 pandemic has 'accelerated digital transformation' for a large majority of retailers, according to new research by Twilio. After surveying over 2,500 enterprise decision makers globally (300 in the UK), results showed that 70% of retailers had significantly increased the pace of their transformation, and by an average of over six years.

77% of UK respondents to the survey said that they had increased spending on digital transformation as a direct result of the pandemic: 36% of these respondents said that the increase was 'dramatic'. A massive 92% of UK business owners said that they were likely to further expand digital communication channels as life slowly begins to return to normal.

The recent Q2 Shopping Index published by Salesforce showed that digital sales had grown by 54% compared to the same time last year and were 20% higher than in Q1. Many of these sales originated from mobile traffic, which has grown by 49% during Q2. Mobile devices enjoyed 63% of the total order share (computers accounted for just 32%).

Commenting on these figures, Salesforce's UK Head of Retail & Travel said: "This recent surge in digital activity, which highlights the effect that lockdown has had on consumer shopping habits, sets a new benchmark for digital commerce as we head into the autumn and winter shopping seasons. This quarter’s results confirm that shopping habits have changed for good, and that the shift to ecommerce will long outlast the pandemic."

Yet another piece of new research, carried out by Wunderman Thompson Commerce, highlights the permanent changes caused by COVID-19. More than 2,000 UK consumers were surveyed: just 16% (fewer than two in ten) of respondents 'intend to return to [their] old shopping habits post-lockdown'.

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