Five Digital Shopping Trends Surging due to the Coronavirus

August 2020

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has dramatically altered consumer shopping behaviour. Using the Digital Consumer Survey, which was fielded in March and April during the height of mandated lockdowns, this report explores consumer sentiment with regard to digital trends accelerated by the crisis. Topics of exploration include contactless retail, new fulfilment and delivery methods, the rapid surge in e-commerce, virtual brand engagements and the role of emerging technologies such as robots.

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Key Findings

Brand engagement goes virtual

With COVID-19 placing constraints on physical operations, consumer-facing companies have become more reliant on the digital channel to drive all forms of engagement with their customer base.

E-commerce as the default setting

The growth of e-commerce was an established trend long before COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. Even so, this period will likely have one of the most long-lasting impacts on this channel’s long-term trajectory as more consumers turn to digital channels to shop and execute purchases.

New era of contactless retail

Concerns over virus transmission led retailers and foodservice operators to adopt more aggressive “contactless” options, which impacted areas ranging from payments to ordering to delivery.

Commerce without humans

Robots have been in the spotlight as businesses attempt to reduce human-to-human contact. While applications were previously focused on manufacturing, the crisis is accelerating use cases in the service sector.

Forced reinvention of last mile

Even before the pandemic, delivery and logistics were highly competitive fronts for retailers, foodservice operators and third-party delivery platforms, but the boom in e-commerce is underscoring the need for a reinvention of last-mile options.

Download Table of Contents
Scope of Digital Consumer
Key findings
COVID-19 crisis is driving radical shifts in consumer shopping behaviour
Five digital shopping trends in the spotlight due to COVID-19
Crisis forced brands to pivot consumer engagements to digital channel
More consumers turning to social media, but engagements forced to evolve
China pioneered and still leads the way on the livestreaming trend
Case study: Alibaba’s livestreaming platform sees uptake amid COVID-19
Case study: Naixue Tea chain uses livestreaming for product launch
Virtual try-on features enable brands to mimic in-person experience
Case study: Ace & Tate introduces online styling advice and try-ons
Case study: Lazada helps mall operators in Southeast Asia go virtual
AR/VR technologies used to create virtual try-on experiences
Case study: IKEA continues augment virtual shopping features
While being experiential remains important, it raises privacy concerns
Key takeaways
E-commerce posted a double-digit percentage point increase during crisis
Consumer spotlight: 30-44 year-olds led digital shift during crisis
Consumers turned to mobile more for purchases during COVID-19
Digital channel becomes a lifeline for struggling foodservice operators
Case study: Sysco pivots operations to capture the retail surge
Case study: Ritual Coffee began selling grocery items during the crisis
Grocery e-commerce moves into the digital spotlight during COVID-19
Case study: Walmart experiences a 30% jump in online orders
Case study: MercadoLibre launches grocery interface in new markets
Half of industry respondents expect e-commerce boom to be permanent
Key takeaways
COVID-19 pandemic ushers in the era of touch-free shopping
Consumers see greatest value from checkout-free options
Consumer spotlight: PayPal users are least open to walk-in, walk-out tech
Consumer spotlight: fans of shopping malls also like virtual fitting rooms
Case study: SenseMi offers virtual fitting in store and online
Case study: A I-powered Fit:Match tech reduces need to try on clothes
COVID-19 accelerates interest in contactless payment options
Case study: Visa reports surge in contactless payments usage globally
Case study: Presto’s contactless tech helps restaurants open safely
Key takeaways
Robots are becoming more intertwined with commerce ecosystem
Case study: Gap accelerates plans to modernise its supply chain
Case study: Tyson expects to invest more in automation due to COVID-19
Case study: lockdown tests online grocery pioneer Ocado’s robots
Case study: Brain Corp experienced sharp rise in robotics interest
Still early days for robotics being leveraged across commerce
At least a third of consumers are comfortable interfacing with robots
Consumer spotlight: big-city consumers most open to robots in store
Consumer spotlight: married millennials most open to robotic chefs
COVID-19 likely to boost long-term investment in robotics
Key takeaways
Cost outweighs speed in terms of desired delivery features
Consumer spotlight: Chileans have strongest desire for click and collect
Tech products are the most common click-and-collect purchases
Case study: Best Buy added curbside pick-up in light of closures
Case study: Westfield introduces multi-retailer click and collect
Almost half of population is open to robots or drones making deliveries
Consumer spotlight: Chinese consumers most open to robotic delivery
Case study: M eituan Dianping unveils robotic delivery in February
Case study: A mazon could slash delivery costs with new acquisition
Curbside pick-up, robots and nano -fulfilment centres all part of the future
Case study: Ohi uses nano-fulfilment centres to get items closer to homes
Case study: Rebel Foods maps path to delivery-only foodservice success
Key takeaways
Crisis likely to accelerate many digital shopping trends already in motion
Digital investment is thought to be key factor in remaining competitive
How we can expect these trends to change the future of commerce
Digital Consumer analysis regularly leverages multiple methodologies
An overview of methodologies often used in Digital Consumer analysis (1)
An overview of methodologies often used in Digital Consumer analysis (2)
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