Gear up for e-commerce on overdrive

Consumers converted to online shopping during the pandemic

Online sales share was higher than ever in 2020, reaching 53%, up from
37% in 2019.

This means the year of the COVID-19 pandemic was the first when Black Friday online sales overtook sales made in physical stores. But it is a mistake to believe that “online only” is the way to go. Traditional sales were still happening at a significant scale, especially in the weeks in the run up to Black Friday.The hybrid channel approach has proven to be very appealing and there are multiple opportunities to maximize these trends in retailing and to connect online and offline marketing and promotions in 2021.

In Europe, trusted traditional retailer’s online shops were the first point of online contact for those forced into e-commerce platforms by COVID-19 lockdowns.

In some weeks, growth rates of those traditional retailers’ online shops exceeded 150% – finishing 2020 with an unprecedented increase of almost 70%.

We may not have been in lockdown last November across Europe – but we were forced to stay at home on and off and hence millions of consumers had shopped online for the first time ever. Many found it quick, easy, affordable, safe and convenient. And so, they stayed loyal to the online channel and shopped that way during Black Friday.Norbert Herzog explains the implications of these changes:

Expect more relevance for the online channel and make sure you address the newly grown customer base. Each sales channel is different, and assortment and competition are not alike. This is evident when monitoring our weekly sales tracking data for categories such as Cooling and TVs.