Three e-commerce trends to watch: Online grocery stores will continue to grow

The pandemic has led to dramatic changes in consumer behavior , with stay-at-home orders, closures of non-essential businesses, and a sharp rise in remote working being some of the factors behind this shift. As a result, some industries have unexpectedly rebounded or taken off, while others have almost completely gone dark.

Online grocery will continue to grow

Grocery sales now account for 12% of e-commerce sales , and while only 44% of baby boomers say they are willing to buy groceries online, that number rises to 77% among younger generations, and nearly 60% of consumers are using digital tools to buy groceries.

The industry is expected to grow 17.8% in 2021, and perhaps most tellingly, 73% of shoppers say they will continue to use direct-to-consumer methods to purchase essential items even after the pandemic is completely over . So, online grocery shopping is here to stay .

Sales of social products declined

GlobalWebIndex reports that 39% of millennials have cut back on discretionary spending because of the pandemic . The truth is, a lot of discretionary spending is still happening, even if it’s down overall. Bread makers, hair dye, table tennis equipment , and more are all things you can find in the top 100 fastest-growing e-commerce categories.

Of the categories that declined the most, though, most were related to activities consumers typically do in social settings outside of the home. Travel topped the list, with men’s and women’s luggage, briefcases, cameras, sports bags and swimwear making up six of the top 10.

People are still working out , with home gym equipment up 300%, and sportswear, track equipment, athletic shoes, swimming equipment, camping gear , all down at least 39%. Sales of desks are up 89%, computer monitors up 172%, briefcases down 77%, and auto parts down 40-50%.

E-commerce will continue to grow

Online shopping has developed rapidly, and compared with the previous three years, fewer and fewer new physical stores opened in 2020.

Global e-commerce sales are expected to grow by around 14% in 2021, bringing global sales to nearly $5 trillion. Considering that consumers will spend an extra hour per day online in 2020, this milestone is likely to be reached soon.

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