Online grocery shopping is one positive result of the pandemic

Shopping is the magical keyword that could cause instant happiness in any person. Against all misconceptions and stereotypes in this matter, shopping is not something just women do; men do enjoy shopping as much as females do. Exceptions, nonetheless, exist on both ends of the gender spectrum.

Shopping is not just about fashion and clothes. Hitting the supermarkets and shopping for groceries for a week, for a family reunion, for a party, or for special occasions is also another type of shopping. Who doesn’t remember family trips to supermarkets, followed usually by a journey to the park?

Unfortunately, the covid 19 pandemic has taken away our simple joys. Trips to the supermarkets have been suspended for quite a long time. However, the bright side of this trauma is the shift towards online grocery shopping. Let’s see how has this been working out for people.

Consumer behavior:

Almost all countries whose retailers provide home delivery services, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, have witnessed a significant shift in consumer behaviors during the past year. To avoid the hustling of the streets and supermarkets most people preferred to do their shopping online.

Grocery store deliveries became the fashion of the pandemic. Stores that did not previously have delivery services opened up to the new trend. It was a way for them to keep their businesses afloat as lockdowns hit for months.

People found a blessing in shopping from home and online grocery delivery. It kept them safe in the comfort of their homes. It is truly the convenience of the new age. Since the pandemic hit back in March 2020, online grocery has witnessed unprecedented growth; it remained above 70 % for the whole last twelve months.

As a matter of fact, the pandemic led many people to think of starting their own startups and businesses. As people no longer had the luxury of moving around freely, certain services became impossible to attain. Home delivery is one example of the thriving business ideas this period. Virtually, all fields of commerce are now turning to online stores and home delivery, and curbside pickups.

Ebastores, an international e-commerce and export company, is actually the brain child of the crisis we are still suffering from. It aims to bring people closers to their needs and desired products. What is easier than checking an online store, going through the details of each product, choosing your favorite good, paying online, and receiving your order at your doorsteps? Life has never been easier, neither faster.

How to order grocery online?

Thanks to the fact that most supermarkets and grocery stores shifted to online shopping and home delivery during these hard times of the pandemic, I don’t have to crawl the internet searching for grocery store delivery near me because the distance is no longer an issue. Most shops of all specialties actually added the option to order grocery online for their customers as a safety measure. You don’t need to hit the streets and risk getting infected as you try to provide for your family.

The best part about online shopping is that it allows you to check multiple stores with just one click. You have the opportunity to cross-check prices, merchandise, and much more. What is the cheapest grocery store? What grocery stores deliver which kind of goods? What are the grocery stores that deliver small-size orders and which don’t? Is there any grocery store pickup near me? All these questions and many others have answers just at the click of your finger.

You can simply log in to your supermarket’s online platform, pick your goods, add them to the cart and pay the price, choose a pickup point or home address, and wait for your purchase to arrive in no time.

Several stores use apps to facilitate the process even more. Grocery delivery apps are generally user-friendly and easy to access and use. Besides, the use of these apps would possibly generate grocery store coupons. Grocery store coupons would either offer discounts or free delivery service. Much more offers of course can be found depending on the store.

Is it the end of online shopping?

Reports from across the world suggest that the age of online shopping is once again declining. In the United Kingdom, recent data shows that people have spent around 8 billion Euros in store. The last month has ushered in people’s return to in-store shopping with noticeable growth estimated by a 3 % rise in visits to bricks and mortar stores.

As soon as the vaccine was available on the ground, governments around the world started easing restrictions on movement and gatherings. Lockdowns are virtually over in most places. And the question now is: will this be the end to grocery delivery service?

Well, many supermarkets used to have home delivery and grocery store pickup services long before the pandemic. The pandemic just expanded the potential and horizons of these services. And my definite answer is that the grocery delivery service is here to stay.

Grocery store pick-up services have been around for a while and they have proved to be beneficial. Grocery store curbside pickup might be toppled by home delivery services, nevertheless, both have proved efficient services and people started to like this kind of help. Therefore, yes, online grocery shopping will not be abandoned any time soon. The steady percentage of online grocery sales even after the ease of lockdown and the return to in-store shopping is evidence of the efficiency and importance of remote shopping.