Online shopping set to become the new normal

According to a study commissioned by DS Smith, a leading player in the sustainable packaging sector, some of the purchasing habits developed by Italian consumers during the lockdown may continue in the “new normal”. One of these is online shopping, with 48% of respondents saying they plan to increase their internet purchases, particularly in the segments of consumer electronics, food, clothing and takeaway food.

The exponential growth of e-commerce

According to Netcomm Forum’s estimates, in the first part of the year the number of users who made online purchases increased by 2 million. In the DS Smith survey, 65% of Italians interviewed confirmed that they have increased their internet purchases. The most popular categories include hygiene products (with 41% of respondents reporting an increase in purchases), clothing and consumer electronics (40%), beauty products (38%) and food (37%). According to Netcomm Forum estimates, food spending grew by 130% between the end of February and mid-April.

Further data confirming an increase in e-commerce sales come from DS Smith itself, which has reported a 100% increase in demand for food and hygiene product packaging since the onset of the pandemic.

Trends set to become the new normal

The survey shows that some of these trends are likely to continue in the near future, with 58% of Italians planning to maintain or increase their online food purchases with respect to the months spent under lockdown. The trend is even more pronounced in the case of consumer electronics (74%), clothing (67%), beauty (65%) and parapharmaceutical and personal hygiene products (62%).

Purchasing drivers: the key role of packaging

Sustainable packaging is one of the main drivers fuelling greater online shopping, with 1 in 5 consumers saying they would be more inclined to shop online if the goods were packaged in recyclable or more sustainable packaging (this preference is expressed most strongly by women and younger adults).

More generally, the factors that prompted Italians to shop online during the lockdown vary according to the respondents’ gender and age. While affordability is a common factor, men appreciate the greater variety of offerings available on the internet, while women highlight the situation of necessity (the inability to leave the home to go shopping) and recreational purchases. This motivation is also shared by a large proportion of young adults (aged 18-24, 35%). Young adults also appreciate time savings, while older respondents report an inability to go out to physical stores as their main motivation. Other options mentioned include free returns (36%) and faster delivery times (32%).