As many of us have spent the last year indoors, our spending and shopping habits have changed and there has been an increase in digital buying. Here is a look at how these digital shopping habits have altered since the start of the pandemic.
Eating habits
At the beginning of the first lockdown, many had no option but to start cooking and eating at home due to the forced closure of hospitality.
This caused a huge increase in home cooking, families eating together and learning new recipes. With more households eating together than pre-pandemic times, there are more opportunities for greengrocers, supermarkets, and book stockists to promote their products.
From local businesses offering fruit and vegetable home deliveries, new subscription boxes providing recipe ideas and bookstores experiencing an increase in cookery and baking related sales, certain businesses thrived throughout the pandemic.
Not to mention hospitality businesses offering their services as a takeaway, with platforms like Deliveroo and Just Eat seeing an increase in regular orders.
Recreational shopping habits
With most retail stores closing and only essential services being allowed to stay open, consumers were limited to what they could physically buy in terms of clothing, entertainment, and other recreational supplies.
This saw many shifting towards buying their items online. Those who originally went to the store to get their groceries were opting for home deliveries from supermarkets in an effort to keep their travel to a minimum. On the other hand, shops that had previously never traded online before took this as an opportunity to expand their platforms and their reach by offering customers a new way of purchasing their products.
Digital spending soared and people began spending time and money finding new ways to keep themselves entertained such as buying start-up kits for trying out a new hobby or skill.
What are the most common methods of digital spending today?
The most common ways that people were spending online is via their smartphones, closely followed by their laptops. While at home, consumers can freely browse the internet for new and exciting offers.
Those who previously wouldn’t have time to read their emails began scouring them for the latest deals and trends. As such, email marketing became more successful, and more click-through sales were being generated.
Desktop PCs have become another popular device to buy on. In line with this, platforms like Facebook and YouTube were being used to advertise new products and generate a higher number of sales due to the amount of people using the platforms on a more regular basis.
The highest levels of digital spending have been generated by those aged 25-34, closely followed by those aged 16-24. Those who were furloughed could possibly have turned to online shopping and spending to keep themselves busy.
Out of those shopping for clothing, shoes, and accessories online, 62% of shoppers were women. However, when buying furniture, homeware, or gardening-related products and digital technology such as computers or phones, most shoppers were men.
This is something to bear in mind when you are considering new marketing techniques and sales pitches. It’s also important to consider the platform you are selling from when creating your eCommerce site to ensure that it is an effective asset for both your business and customers.