Impact of COVID-19 on E-commerce
5 mins read

Impact of COVID-19 on E-commerce

Situation has changing rapidly on e-commerce industry since the strike of COVID-19. Restaurants, bars, coffee shop were forced to closed down and we can’t even estimate how it will last.

COVID-19 also known as coronavirus pandemic has made it obvious that it does really affect our daily life and our business as well.  Such prevention steps like social distancing and in-home quarantine make it far more worse for our business. From this case, we already knew from the bottom of our heart that physical shops and places selling products  will suffer a big hit and we have to find a way to survive 

E-commerce or online shopping can be considered as our one last option to maintain our business in this crucial moment. People will no longer go over the streets and and shops calmly. That’s why it’s getting more and more attention from business owners in order to help them to adapt to this situation

Increased Demand

It makes sense when many business owners will firstly think about cutting down all the optional services or any extra expenses to conserve as much cash as possible to survive or maintain their business. But, some businesses will prefer to get themselves an e- commerce website or online store after reviewing their business model. While many of the business shops were forced to shut down due to health reasons, a website allows you to operate your business 24 hours without your physical stores. In fact,  you may even update your latest information about your products or services anytime !

For example, if your business were forced to close today due to national lockdown, you may not be able to operate your business as usual and have no idea when it will stop. But,  if you own an online e-commerce website, you are able to work from home, reply to any enquiries from customers online or may even kick off some promotional campaigns to attract more customers from all around the globe !

Production halt

Most companies rely on each other to survive supplying raw materials or provide professional services. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, many of the e-commerce retailers which rely on China to supply materials for production will get interrupted due to the virus. 

For example, the raw materials such as cloth and metal were supplied from China and many companies chose to halt their production line temporarily to prevent the spreading of virus. This could be a big hit for companies as they do not have enough material to produce meanwhile they have to maintain their business.

Changes in e-commerce industry

When COVID 19 strikes, most of us were forced to quarantine or stay at home and either work or study at home. As people are still concerned about their health, the best seller for online e-commerce will eventually shift to new categories. Currently, which is essential products and healthcare products like face mask, hand sanitizer, bread, rice and etc,

Before the spread of the virus, most of the online shoppers will go for luxury products, fashion products or even electronics gadgets. Healthcare products like mask or hand sanitizers are not even popular yet. But after the COVID 19 pandemic, everything seems to change in the e-commerce industry.  According to the New Straits Times, there are many people who started taking up different habits during quarantine period. From online reading or playing online games, to watch TV shows on Youtube or Netflix to keep themselves entertained during this tough time. There are also some who taking online courses like management or marketing to fully utilize their time during this quarantine

Food Shopping

Supermarkets and mini markets may look like a warzone now as everyone is rushing to get their food to make sure they have enough supply. But, sooner or later they will run out of supply too. But, by purchasing through online e-commerce websites, you may have the choice for pre-order.

This could be a one in a million opportunity for the food and beverages industry to boost up their business and help the people at the same time. By utilizing e-commerce websites, people will be grateful and able to get their food wherever they are staying. No one will be starving during this period of time. At, at the very least, people may able to shop online as long they have Internet access and get the essential needs to survive 

Conclusion is that many people may not see e-commerce websites as an asset or advantage from business perspective. But, when it comes to emergency situations such as this COVID 19 pandemic, owning an online website does really help your business to operate online even when you’re not doing anything !

Now, start moving as we are ready to assist you throughout this tough time. We are excited to launch your e-commerce website with Operion Web Design ! 

For more information, 

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