In this quarantine, there is still a light of hope for businesses and companies.
The coronavirus (COVID-19), appeared at a time when the world was embracing a more digital economy. Since we had to be in quarantine, an unexpected change has been marked in everyone’s lives, modifying our consumer behaviors and discovering, even more, the importance of the digital world and how a store can meet multiple needs.
Impact on companies
This quarantine has come to affect different economic sectors. On trade, small and medium service companies have experienced the highest percentage in reducing their sales. Furthermore, sales expectations for at least the next few months are not very positive.
But it is SMEs that have seen one of the biggest impacts. It is particularly due to the various measures that have been taken around the world, such as the closure of restaurants, bars, event rooms, among other businesses that are considered SMEs.
On the other hand, the Latin American association of micro, small and medium entrepreneurs, points out that the pandemic has caused a drop of up to 90% in sales of small businesses.
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Growth of e-commerce in times of the coronavirus.
While large shopping centers, restaurants, cinemas, stadiums, or clothing stores, perceive a sharp drop due to the lower circulation of customers and the fear of contagion in places where many people congregate, the services of deliveries and virtual stores have grown exponentially.
Brands like:
Amazon, Mercadolibre, Linio, eBay, H-E-B, Walmart, and Chedraui reported a substantial increase in online orders and especially grocery purchases including fruits and vegetables.
In addition to e-commerce…
Other beneficiaries of the isolation have been companies such as Rappi and UberEats, whose meal delivery services have quadrupled in recent weeks.
Amazon (the e-commerce giant)
Announced the hiring of more than 6,000 people to reinforce operations in the US and deal with this contingency.
Walmart
With the need to look for alternatives to confinement, they decided to transfer their business model to the online world, having a great reception by Internet users. This generated a high demand for personnel hiring.
According to Fenalco, the impact that the coronavirus will have will change the way products are sold. The use of cash is reduced and the handling of cards, online payments, and transactions between apps is notably triggered.
The products that are in physical stores are also sold on digital platforms.
Finally
Once the health crisis is over, consumer habits will have changed, allowing electronic commerce to detonate.
The economy should not stop, but many companies need to change their daily operation.
Moving to e-commerce could no longer be an option and could become a standard for many companies and small businesses.
But while the health contingency lasts, electronic commerce platforms and delivery services will be vital, especially in large cities where there is a greater possibility of contagion.
Internet sales are the present, a channel that you cannot neglect if you want to make a difference in the market.
Find out here how some businesses took advantage of apps to continue their business.
