DIU Blog

Effect of Covid-19 and Rise of Online Shopping

The recent pandemic, COVID-19, has affected every sphere of life of people all over the world. Bangladesh is not out of them. Every sector of Bangladesh has been severely affected due to this pandemic, like other countries of the world. The retail sector traditional those were accustomed to sell through store/shopping mall has faced the challenges most.

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected aspects of human life and various sectors, especially the health sector. These conditions led to the creation of new patterns of life that people have had to deal with to reduce the spread of the epidemic by committing to social distancing, among others. Therefore, governments and technological organizations had to take advantage of technological developments in the current era to overcome these challenges that were created by these conditions. During this COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh the in-store purchase restrictions affected essential and non-essential product retailers as well as buying habits of the consumers. After the COVID-19’s effects on in store purchase and buying habits, consumers in Dhaka city has radically changed their lifestyle in response to the pandemic. Most of the consumers in Dhaka city faced new personal and social situations, changes in income and leisure time, which has eventually influenced the consumer attitudes and behaviors. The huge rise in online shopping, especially in Dhaka city, is likely to continue upcoming days. Online shopping service providers should build systems that are user friendly and easily accessible. New shopping trends found after pandemic are mentioned as follow:

• Lower loyalty: For a wide variety of reasons, consumer loyalty to their typical in store brands has dropped significantly.
• Contactless payment: Rise of mobile banking and other app based payment tools got popularity after the pandemic.
• Shopping in Facebook: Several social media platforms specially took advantage of higher online retail demand by using social media particularly Facebook, enabling shoppers to browse and purchase products over the Facebook pages.

Customers are now appreciating the convenience of online shopping. While the restrictions imposed by COVID-19 may have made online shopping even more appealing, this is actually a long-term trend that’s likely to continue well into the post-pandemic future. In order to make the most of this, businesses need to offer transparency, flexible policies, and convenient solutions for shoppers. 2020 will be remembered as the turning point and the digital and e-commerce industries have enjoyed exceptional and unexpected growth as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. During and, most likely, after the pandemic, customers appreciate having as many choices as possible when it comes to customer service, shipping, payment options, and every aspect of a transaction. For example, if you began offering home delivery service while you were forced to shut down, you might consider continuing this policy even when your doors are open.

Companies should invest in online shopping development and customer experience because people are buying more online. However, some business owners argue that the current growth in e-commerce is only temporary and that customers will return to the high street as soon as things return to normal, so there is no point in sinking money into e-commerce services. It’s important to stay connected to your followers. Monitor your channels and promptly answer questions and comments. Global retail is unlikely to return to normal in the short or even medium term when considering various pandemic outcomes. Furthermore, a new normal is significantly more optimistic for online retailers than physical ones.

Consumer habits aren’t going anywhere. It’s mostly because some of the pre-pandemic buying patterns were already in place, and Covid-19 merely made them more widespread. Shoppers are more inclined to prioritize ease and security over anything else when making purchasing decisions.

Post-pandemic e-commerce growth will not be stopped by digital fatigue, but it will be slowed. The dominance of e-commerce is inescapable. Covid-19’s impact on global business has only expedited the digital revolution of the world economy. As more and more businesses have adopted online means of establishing and growing themselves and compete in the national as well as international market, there is an increased need to make their e-commerce websites stand out among others. There are several companies offering their professional and up to the mark services in e-commerce web design Sharjah. With their professional help you can have a unique standing of your business locally as well as internationally for a far better reach.

About the writer

Dewan Golam Yazdani Showrav is currently working as Assistant Professor of Department of Business Administration, Daffodil International University, Bangladesh.  He had enrolled in PhD program at Bangladesh University of Professionals during the session of 2019-20.