The eCommerce sector appears to be growing during the lockdown, with a boom in purchases and new consumers. Blendee’s eCommerce Active Monitoring Observatory analyzed the data sector by sector.
At a time when much of the activity in Italy is halted due to the lockdown caused by the Covid-19 health emergency, the eCommerce world is confirmed as strategic: this was also revealed by Netcomm research data, presented at the opening of the Netcomm Forum Live event held last May 6/7. From the beginning of 2020 to date there are more than 2 million new Italian consumers online 1.3 million of which, according to Netcomm, can be attributed precisely to the spread of the health emergency, an absolutely significant increase if we think that in the same period of 2019 the increase had been 700,000 more online consumers. Consumption habits are changing, the potential of digital is also being rediscovered in everyday life, but which sectors are driving the growth of the online market?
Blendee’s eCommerce Active Monitoring eCommerce Observatory: online sales and most relevant product sectors in the lockdown period
Providing us with a clearer picture of the sectors that are driving growth in eCommerce, data collected by Blendee’s Active Monitoring Observatory, which pursuing in the analysis inaugurated last March, expands the time frame of reference to the entire lockdown period, thus complementing the data collected in the initial period of the pandemic.
From Blendee’s data pertaining to marketing automation activities during the lockdown period (March 9-May 3, 2020), significant growth is confirmed in the food and grocery sector. Turnover marks +204% over the previous period with the number of orders reaching +129% over the January-March 2020 period. Turnover and number of orders grow, as well as eCommerce performance in terms of page views(+92%), views(+1272%) and clicks(+1114%) of suggested products improve compared to the previous period. If the growth for the food and grocery sector is particularly significant when comparing with the previous period, it is even more so if the comparison is shifted to the same period of the previous year, where, for example, for the further sales a +600% was recorded. Acting as a driving force, in this case, is not only the nature of the products sold, which are basic necessities, but the valuable after-sales services such as home delivery and click & collect (i.e., the possibility of buying online and picking up at the point of sale), which are confirmed, without a shadow of a doubt, as an important added value in the age of social distancing.
Also in the same vein was the parapharmaceutical sector, which, in terms of sales, marked a +32.91%, compared to the previous period, and better performance in terms of views(+36.76%) and clicks on recommended products (+32.34%). In contrast to the food and grocery sector, where the increase in the main indicators, was also particularly significant when comparing with the January – March period, for the parapharmaceutical sector, the growth figures were particularly interesting when compared with the March – May 2019 period (turnover +124% compared to the previous year), demonstrating a steady growth already highlighted even before the lockdown.
In contrast, the fashion sector , which, although it shows a growth in terms of turnover (+107%), compared to the previous year, in the lockdown period, shows -48.21% in terms of turnover, -47.36% in terms of number of orders and negative performance also in terms of views(-41.16%) and clicks (-72.25%) of recommended products. In analyzing the performance of the fashion sector, although it is worth mentioning how the data for the January-March 2020 period is affected by the sales campaigns, it still emerges how the sector, in the lockdown period, suffered a setback, compared to other industries.
Among the various sectors for which data were collected and examined, consumer electronics, small home and personal care appliances undoubtedly deserves attention. In a period, such as lockdown, in which many Italians have rediscovered their passion for cooking, the sector marks a +68.40 percent in the number of orders, compared to the previous period, with a 57.86 percent increase in sales. Positive, compared to the previous period, are also data on the display (+35.56%) of recommended products within the shops, while clicks mark a slight decrease(-2.45%).
From home to gardening: the arrival of spring combined with the lockdown period contributed to a significant growth in eCommerce sales in the gardening sector as well: compared to the same period of the previous year, there is evidence of +106% in the number of orders and +71.36% in sales. Absolutely significant were also the figures for viewing (+804%) and clicks on recommended products (+26.87%) with a 73.69% increase in page views.
Growing trend also for the pet sector, where in the lockdown period, there is an average growth of 86.36% in sales and 112% in the number of orders compared to the previous period. +706% also for the views of recommended products, while the number of clicks grows by 379%. The data collected for the lockdown period, confirm the trend already seen in the initial phase of the health emergency related to the spread of Covid-19. The closure of physical stores, of the places of aggregation, has changed the buying and socializing habits of Italians and has undoubtedly shed light on a new awareness: the eCommerce world can no longer be only the preserve of a few but must become a source of livelihood, alongside the off-line reality, for a large part of the economic realities of our country. This implies the awareness that we must continue in the direction of innovation and digital transformation, vigorously pursuing the change that many have been facing in emergency. New paradigms, new rules, but at the center always the customer: the post lockdown will increasingly lead companies to reflect on the importance of adopting omnichannel marketing strategies and focusing on the personalization of the customer experience as determining factors for their success.
