Traffic to online grocery stores shot up +84% in the last week, contributing to an overall +161% increase in visits since February 16th as the outbreak started to global, according to new research.
The research, from ecommerce analytics platform Contentsquare also revealed that global visits to TV/streaming sites went up +34% in the last week — almost three times the increase recorded during the previous week, and +43% overall since the start of the outbreak.
Some other top-line stats from the research include:
• Transactions from online grocery stores fell -15% last week, as online grocers increasingly struggle to keep up with demand
• Retail healthcare transactions are down -35%, suggesting consumers may have already stocked up on essential medical supplies
• Transactions on cosmetics websites were up last week by +33%
• Tech retail sites recorded a +20% increase in traffic in the last week
• Visits to sites specializing in books and toys increased +25%
• Despite a -2% dip in the number of visits, sports retailers saw a +30% increase in the number of transactions this past week
• Media sites continue to record a weekly traffic increase (+24% this week), steadily adding up to a +80% increase since February 16th.
• The real estate sector recorded a huge dip in traffic this past week — -46% compared to -52% since the beginning of the outbreak.
Traffic to online grocery stores skyrockets as they struggle to keep up with demand, while other online retailers plateau suggesting consumers are stocking up for the long haul.
As much of the global workforce has shifted to working from home, consumer behaviour suggests that the public is stocking up for the long haul as online grocers struggle to keep up with demand. That’s according to new data from ecommerce analytics platform Contentsquare.
Each week, Contentsquare has been providing updates on the Coronavirus’ impact on ecommerce, based on real-time data from over 50 million transactions from 1400 sites.
The latest research shows that, since the crisis began, traffic to online grocery sites has increased by +116%, while transactions are down -15% from last week due largely to abandoned shopping carts as result of fully booked delivery services.
This behaviour is also seen in tech retail as consumers are looking to upgrade their hardware to facilitate both their entertainment and working needs from home. Tech retail sites recorded a +20% increase in traffic in the last week — higher than the total jump in visits since February 16th (+15%). The sector also recorded a higher number of purchases than any other week we analyzed, with a +30% increase in transactions. As a comparison point, the week immediately preceding this one had shown no change in the number of transactions.
Aimee Stone Munsell, CMO at Contentsquare commented “As the public adheres to tougher social isolation measures, their behavior online shows they are making preparations to stay at home for an extended period of time. This has caused a major strain on some retailer’s supply chains as online grocery stores are struggling to keep up with demand, resulting in greater levels of traffic but fewer transactions for those sites. At the same time cosmetic, tech, streaming and other entertainment retailers are experiencing an increase in both traffic and transactions as people settle into working, schooling and playing at home.
“The ability to see these types of insights in real-time is vital for brands if they are going to survive the type of shifting consumer behavior we are experiencing. Digital has just gone from an important part of your mix to your only channel, so being armed with precise analytics that inform your daily digital decisions will help businesses best weather this crisis and be better prepared to emerge stronger on the other side.”
Ecommerce data relating to the crisis will continue to be regularly updated here