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All my friends had an Xbox so I decided to purchase on as well. Typically I don't spend much time playing video games or watching T.V. However, during the quarantine I racked up a lot of hours and spent lots of money on games and consoles.  This was the new way of socializing and was my way of talking to my friends every day. At one point we all got hooked on Fortnite trying to get that Victory Royale and was playing almost every night.

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I have never seen so many people shop online before. With nobody wanting to leave their houses almost everything was made available online. Apps such as Instacart was a key one that my family used a lot. Basically you pay a little extra for each item but someone goes and shops for you and then delivers the food right to your door which was extremely convent. We also used Amazon a lot to get everyday supplies that we needed. Lastly, we would use Door dash to order food from restaurants that we were craving.

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By the second quarter of 2020, our lives as we knew them had changed significantly. But how have things changed 18+ months on?

The lockdowns that were so rampant last year have lifted, and restaurants, movie theaters and gyms have largely reopened. But many of those in-person businesses are facing staffing shortages while children are still out of school (whether by parent preference or school mandate).

Meanwhile, as you've probably seen in hundreds of posts on LinkedIn, many office workers are facing the challenges of going back to work while the virus (to varying degrees across the country and the world) is still a factor - or choosing to leave their jobs for a more remote-friendly company.

Despite those who call this the "post-COVID" era, the situation is still rapidly changing. But retail and ecommerce businesses have begun to see new behavioral shifts in shopping habits, as well as which changes over the past year show signs of sticking.

COVID Ecommerce Trends

The digital economy boomed during the COVID-19 crisis. As people embraced social distancing, they turned to online shopping more than ever before. 67% of consumers report they shop differently now due to COVID-19.

Retailers stepped up to the challenge, not just by supporting more online sales, but by embracing emerging technologies that created connections with shoppers or made their customer experience more convenient.

1. New trending product categories.

Grocery ecommerce soared in the second week of March 2020. "In a matter of months, the grocery ecommerce landscape in North America accelerated by three to five years," wrote analysts at McKinsey, who also provided the below data:

With the broad expansion of product categories shoppers are likely to order from online retailers, Walmart grew its digital grocery business in 2021, and eMarketer says they'll outsell Amazon in that category this year.

Home goods and fitness products saw sales growth, too. Recreational goods spending increased by 18% due to increased spending on home gym equipment and the furnishings and household equipment sector grew by 5.7%.

Will these trends last into the transition to the "new normal"?

While grocery ecommerce growth penetration is expected to continue, to reach 14-18% in the next three to five years, some analysts think home goods and fitness spending will cool.

2. Lower loyalty.

For a wide variety of reasons, consumer loyalty to their typical brands has fallen. eMarketer reports that in mid-2021 more than 80% of consumers reported buying a different brand than usual - and that's a trend that started early on in the pandemic. Today's reasons are typically around lower prices (65%) and out-of-stock products (51%).

It's not practical to expect that online transactions could replace every single in-person purchase. That's why big strides were made over the course of the pandemic in various contactless payment options.

eMarketer reports that the number of people globally who used proximity mobile payments in 2020 grew 22.2% year over year.

While some shoppers turned to digital commerce, others made use of new or expanded pick-up or delivery options from their local, physical stores.

Thanks in part to grocery stores enabling online purchases, third-party delivery providers like Instacart partnered with them to accelerate delivery services, and food delivery companies like DoorDash and Uber Eats began including grocery delivery as well.

And curbside pickup, both from restaurants and brick-and mortar-stores, particularly gained momentum as a contact-free way to pick up their purchases on their own time.

Several social media platforms took advantage of higher online retail demand by adding more commerce features, enabling shoppers of participating online retailers to browse and purchase products without ever leaving the platform. These platforms are typically closely integrated with ecommerce platforms so that ecommerce operators can easily promote their products in multiple places.

In 2020, social commerce made up 3.4% of total ecommerce sales, and that percentage is expected to continue rising.

However, though social platforms are offering more opportunity than ever to contribute to total retail sales, it's not just through on-platform shopping.

The majority of Millennials and Gen Z think social media platforms are better places to learn about new products than online search.

Lingering Pandemic Disruptions to Consumer Behavior and Supply Chains

The fluctuation of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ways it influences our shopping habits will likely continue into the foreseeable future.

Spikes in virus cases in certain geographies may temporarily accelerate online orders and the need for home delivery. In other places, cases may cool, increasing in-person retail sales.

Omnichannel and online shopping will continue to pervade the retail world, particularly aligned to concerned shoppers with a reduced-contact mindset.

But the disruptions aren't only on the consumer side. Supply has its own issues, thanks to changing patterns changing the expectations for a supply chain not ready to adapt.

According to McKinsey, fluctuating demand in the U.S. is driving shipping demand, causing congestion in ports - but COVID-19 has led to port lockdowns, which is further resulting in shipping capacity reduction.

"The disruption of trade between the APAC region and the Americas has never been so strained," said Web Smith of 2pml. "The simple function of shopping for goods and services is no longer efficient in many places. Now, multiply this inefficiency by 1,000 and you have the global shipping crisis in need of a long-term solution."

Post-COVID Commerce is Omnichannel

The major shift to ecommerce in 2020 is clear - but will it continue?

eMarketer predicts retail ecommerce sales will continue to grow by double digits through 2023 worldwide. That said, foot traffic is starting to come back as well.

It's clear that moving forward, choosing between online sales and brick-and-mortar stores won't be the answer - instead, "offering a compelling omnichannel experience...is a requirement for survival," says McKinsey analysts.

Those at NieslenIQ agree: "Moving forward, retailers should expect regular disruption. Be prepared for the bullwhip effect (the increasing swings in inventory due to shifts in consumer demand). Operate with the expectation that employment disruptions will continue given the unpredictable nature of today's job market."

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Understanding the COVID-19 Effect on Ecommerce + Trends | BigCommerce

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Despite those who call this the "post-COVID" era, the situation is still rapidly changing. But retail and ecommerce businesses have begun to see new behavioral shifts in shopping habits, as well as which changes over the past year show signs of sticking.

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Prior to the pandemic, I almost never wore a mask or gloves in public. However, that changed for me and almost everyone else. Now whenever I step foot out of my house my mom always makes sure I have these items on me and forces me to wear them in public areas. These masks have turned into a new piece of clothing with many different styles and colors to help match with the rest of your outfit. A downside to wearing these masks is that they are uncomfortable to wear for a long period of time and that they can be extremely difficult to breathe in especially while working out. However, I am totally fine with wearing it if it ensures safety and helps stop the spread of the virus.

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Lifting weights and exercising was a stable in my daily routine. Since I had so much time on my hands I was working out for almost four hours a day. I am sure many other people also picked up this habit because in mid April I wanted to purchase more weights but they were all sold out. I even check websites like eBay and the prices were just crazy expensive. The price was almost $500 for two sixty pound adjustable dumbbells. Luckily, one of my friends that had a home gym eventually let me go over to his house and allowed me to workout with him.

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I had an idea of what online learning would be like before the pandemic occurred. However, it really came into action when the virus starting spreading. Having long zoom/ google meet calls that would disconnect every five minutes was not the best but at least we were able to see our teachers and learn as best as we can. Apps such as ED puzzle, Khan Academy, zoom and Google Classroom will always be remembered as my junior/ senior year was of leaning.