Welcome to COVID, Commerce and the Consumer. In this report, we wanted to look into how COVID-19 is changing the face of retail, and just how temporary or enduring we can expect those changes to be.
We asked 2,000 UK consumers their views across a variety of subjects, including digital spend, physical shopping, and their new perceptions of retailers and institutions.
The results were unequivocal and astounding, and prove that this virus is accelerating the appetite for digital, and forcing businesses to re-think how they sell and fulfil their products.
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We asked: "Pre-COVID-19, what percentage of your spending was spent online vs offline?"
% of shopping that was spent online pre-COVID-19 outbreak
% of shopping that was spent online during lockdown
% of shopping consumers intend to spend online post COVID-19
With online now accounting for a larger percentage of retail spend, one question that needs to be asked is "are these changes in habits temporary or permanent?"
said some of their purchasing behaviours would stick
said their purchasing behaviours will have changed for good
said they intend to return to their old shopping habits
said they're more comfortable with digital tech post lockdown
Since the outbreak, some businesses have flourished, whilst others have regrettably floundered.
To get a closer view, we wanted to see how certain organisations had fared in terms of shoppers' perceptions.
The NHS
Royal Mail
Tesco
Amazon
Across all independent research programmes Wunderman Thompson Commerce has conducted in 2020, two clear drivers in decision-making scream out: delivery and availability.
said free delivery is the number 1 purchase driver for online buying. 2nd was product availability (57%)
of consumers think the number 1 thing they would change about online shopping is free returns
said it was more important to get the product on time than to get the brand they preferred
As well as gaining an insight into consumers' outlook into the future, we also wanted to know what their outlook was, specifically around the future of shopping.
of shoppers feel less positive about shopping in-store
of shoppers are "scared" about shopping in-store
WUNDERMAN THOMPSON COMMERCE is a global eCommerce consultancy that offers strategic clarity, tech know-how and creative inspiration to help organizations deliver winning commerce capabilities across digital channels: marketplaces (including Amazon), online retail, D2C and social commerce.