Corona Virus: Lockdown Changed The World of Retail Business

Corona Virus Has Changed Every Aspect Of Life Around The World, The World Of Retail Business Is Also Seeing Great Changes. The Preferences Of Sellers And Buyers Also Changed.

In developed countries, people are shopping more online than ever before, while in developing countries, the trend was lower, but is now increasing. To protect against the corona virus, governments are urging people to stay home longer. On the other hand, retailers have been asked to improve and expand their online shopping system as much as possible.

According to a report, online sales of groceries in the United States increased by 37% in April 2020 compared to the previous year, when the calculation was 25% in March. Although books and electronics were already purchased online in the United States, food was also ordered on mobile applications. Americans only like to go to the stores to buy meat and vegetables. However, with the advent of the corona virus, the landscape changed dramatically. So many orders for groceries, fresh fruits and over-eaten vegetables are being received in various stores now that the stores are finding it difficult to meet the demand. Want to keep their contact with other people to a minimum.

When the corona virus began to wreak havoc in the Chinese city of Wuhan, retail companies such as Alibaba, JD.com, PDD and MTDP immediately turned to online to meet the needs of consumers at their doorsteps. Further improved the line system and home delivery system. And throughout the lockdown, Wuhan provided digital necessities to 11 million people in a digital way.

In China, the system did not develop overnight, but took years to develop. The system has become so strong that general stores, restaurants, bookstores and other outlets in the streets have also started buying and selling digitally. We have never thought of digitizing business at such a low level. In Wuhan, the whole system was run on the basis of just one application, they did not have to mess with different applications to buy different things. Other online retailers around the world have adapted to the new conditions. After the lockdown, Amazon also expanded its range to items that are not typically part of online stores. Behind this was the desire to expand its customer base by meeting the needs of as many customers as possible.

The lockdown has resulted in many significant changes in the world of retail business. From the United States to Europe, for example, the relationship between traditional retailers, e-commerce and delivery service providers has grown as the effects of the corona virus have become more pronounced there, making them stronger than in other parts of the world. The UK amended the rules regarding retailers' business hours, giving them the opportunity to open stores at night and work their stock.

In France, Frein Prix (a retail company) merged Deliuro (an online food delivery company) and Carrie Four (a retail company) teamed up with Uber Eats (an online food delivery company) to address consumer needs. Completed on the doorstep of The aforementioned retail companies were forced to partner with these home delivery companies because customer demand was growing exponentially. Carrie Four set aside separate hours for medical staff and the elderly. ۔ Larger stores have also introduced 'in-store pick-up' systems, especially in stores that do not have a comprehensive and robust home delivery system. Orders and pays to the desired retailer on arrival but arrives at the store to pick up the goods.

There are 12 million grocery stores in India. 90% of the supply chains here are operating irregularly, but with the advent of large multinational retailers and supply chains, the sector has improved significantly. Now that these grocery stores are being digitized, they have started e-commerce. There, digital payment management companies are also accelerating their services, as are large retailers introducing point-of-sale (POS) systems. With these digitization efforts, India's grocery stores are taking the form of modern stores.

People who fear the corona virus are increasingly turning to online shopping. This is evidenced by the dramatic increase in downloads of applications from major retailers such as InstaCart, Wal-Mart and Ship in the United States. In March, InstaCart's applications were downloaded 218 percent, Wal-Mart's 160 percent and Shop's 124 percent more. This clearly means that customers understand that they now have more than just online shopping. There is no solution. A survey found that 41% of Americans shop online for the first time since the corona virus. Most of them were over 60 years old. Remember that in 2019, only 4% of American consumers bought groceries online.

There is always a change in customer trends in the days of disaster, people learn new skills on such days. What a disaster for the people today