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Corona is changing shopping behavior in e-commerce

 

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Bielefeld, June 17, 2020 – A virus keeps the economy in suspense. The times of buying hamsters are largely over. But even now, as a logistics service provider with a focus on e-commerce, we are still seeing strong changes in purchasing behavior. And they are taken from the middle of life.

Our sales manager Thomas Finke gives an insight: “We clearly see that the purchasing behavior follows a logic that is also very easy to understand. In the fashion and textile sector, for example, there was a significant drop in order volume at the beginning of the crisis. Especially for special ranges from the areas of travel and outdoor. At the same time, orders for fast moving consumer goods were booming, especially for food and supplements, OTC products and animal feed, because nobody wants to know themselves and their beloved four-legged friends without care. The far-reaching, nationwide measures and restrictions to contain the pandemic meant that consumers spent a lot of time at home. As a result, we saw a significant increase in orders for exercise bikes and erotic items.”

A huge challenge
An increased order volume is of course very positive. However, COVID-19 also increases logistics costs. Additional safety and hygiene measures increase the space and personnel requirements. Delivery bottlenecks in the purchase of consumables such as cardboard boxes or the partially overloaded networks of the parcel service providers also made the situation considerably more difficult. The peak order volume was higher than on Black Friday or in the Christmas season. “We had to create additional capacities at short notice and increase the staff in order to be able to process all orders on time,” says Thomas Finke, describing two of the biggest challenges. Despite everything, he is in a positive mood: “This crisis is a major challenge for all of us. At B + S, we are grateful for our situation, even if it sounds inappropriate, because we can continue to be there for our customers. Other industries are currently not doing so well. You have to keep that in mind in all of the work.”

A virtue becomes necessity
Thomas Finke is currently recognizing a development towards normality: “COVID-19 is still present, but the weather has been very good lately and people are making the best of the current situation. There is also an increasing desire and demand for summer clothing among consumers. That is why we are currently seeing increasing shipping volumes in the fashion and outdoor sector. Because even in Germany and in your own garden, you can walk and relax wonderfully despite the Corona crisis. In this way, consumers make a virtue of the necessity of not being able to travel. And for that they need the right equipment.”