As the COVID-19 crisis lingers, consumers are turning to online retail to address their urgent – and not-so-urgent – shopping needs. In the short-term, this trend can help businesses survive the lockdowns; in the long-term, it may signal a more permanent shift away from brick-and-mortar retail. Businesses must be prepared for this new reality.

According to Adobe’s latest Digital Economy Index, the apparel, electronics, and grocery sectors have all been affected by evolving consumer behaviours, albeit in different ways. Here’s what Adobe’s VP of marketing and consumer insights, John Copeland, said in a recent company blog post:

“We’ve found that this sudden e-commerce acceleration is having an impact on apparel, electronics, and grocery purchases online. With stores closed due to shelter-in-place mandates across the [United States], April’s Digital Economy Index highlights some of the ways in which brands in these categories have had to shift strategies during this unprecedented time and how consumer online shopping is evolving.”

The index showed that ‘buy-online, pick-up-in-store’ (BOPIS) purchases surged 208 per cent in April over the previous year. It also showed that digital purchasing power, which Adobe uses to measure how much consumers are able to buy online vs a 2014 baseline, jumped 4.1 per cent.

What this all means is that consumers are more willing than ever to purchase a wide variety of goods online. Capturing the attention of these willing consumers will require a comprehensive, carefully planned, and, ultimately, aggressive digital marketing approach. As more brands shift their advertising focus to the internet, it will become increasingly challenging to stand out.

As a Google Premier Partner digital marketing agency, GrowthEngine Media can help you reach your target audience through a range of tactics, include paid search engine marketing, search engine optimization, social media marketing and advertising, immersive (AR, VR and 360°) marketing, and more. Reach out today to discuss your plan for the future.

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