The pandemic rattled most aspects of the industry — consumer demand surges, supply strains, widespread store closures — but it also accelerated some trends analysts were already projecting, notably the increased adoption of e-commerce.
Due to most nonessential stores closing in mid-March and consumers being advised to limit encounters in crowded places, shopping online became more popular than ever.
“We saw a tremendous surge in digital for the first three quarters of this year,” said Rob Garf, vice president of strategy and insights in Salesforce’s Retail & Consumer Goods practice. But even as physical stores began reopening, Garf noted that e-commerce sales in the second and third quarter increased 71% and 55%, respectively, year over year.
