Just a few months ago, everyone was simply going about their business and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then came the coronavirus. COVID-19 spread like wildfire around the globe and has affected the majority of the world’s population. Many of the measures taken to fight the virus are less than ideal for many people, but they also offer opportunities. This is especially true when it comes to e-commerce. Today, we’ll discuss how the coronavirus affects e-commerce and what kind of opportunities you can tap into to make your business a success.
Online shopping
Fortunately, the Dutch government didn’t impose a strict general lockdown, and we’re now looking forward to an easing of the restrictions. As people were initially advised to stay home and not go shopping, we saw plenty of opportunities for the online shopping market—and this is still the case, despite the changing situation. Many people are still avoiding physical shops and crowds, which makes online shopping the perfect solution for getting those necessities and making this turbulent time more manageable and pleasant.
Immediately after the measures were announced, the demand for health products such as disinfectants and vitamins increased, along with the pressure on timely delivery for the various delivery companies.
At Sendcloud, we’ve seen a significant increase in the number of packages sent ever since the week in which many countries in Europe took preventive measures. If we compare the week of April 6 (week 15) with the week when the first preventive measures were implemented (week 11), we can see an astonishing increase of 90%. After announcing the easing of restrictions and the reopening of many sectors, the online demand for products remains much higher than before the corona crisis.
Sectors with enormous growth in terms of online orders include web shops featuring garden products, such as elho.com. This shop offers you the most beautiful flowerpots and planters, which are also sustainably produced. In addition, shops with products for in and around the house are popular, such as heuts.nl, with a wide range of swimming pools, lounge sets, and barbecues. People are also taking on a lot more DIY-at-home projects at this time, so web shops offering a selection of tools are doing very well too. A good example is georgeatwork.co.uk—the shop for everything and every job. From complete workshop equipment to tool sets: you can find it here.
The growth and potential of web shops is thriving. We expect this to continue in the coming months, especially as summer is around the corner and many people are still reluctant to go to crowded places. If the customer doesn’t want to wait at the checkout for a long time or wants to avoid other people altogether, a visit to your web shop is the best and easiest option for them to still do some shopping.
International
This means that the coronavirus offers many opportunities for web shop owners, and responding well to the growing market demand is an important factor for success. However, operating internationally is also increasingly important and promising. Especially when we look at the COVID-19 measures taken in neighbouring countries, there are clearly a lot of international opportunities for Dutch companies to start or continue operating in them. Think, for example, of offering products via Amazon, or directly from your web shop in the language used by your customer across the border.
Textcase is the ultimate specialist when it comes to such solutions and offers perfect translations for every foreign market you can imagine. Our translators are native speakers and ensure that your web shop seamlessly integrates the language of your customers abroad. Experience it for yourself and contact us to discover the possibilities.