These are tough times, but not for everything and everyone. Over the past year, we\u2019ve faced a challenging situation due to the global health emergency caused by the spread of COVID-19, which was later declared a pandemic. Various restrictions were put in place to try to contain the spread of the virus, leading to complete and extended lockdowns in many countries. However, one sector saw a truly significant increase: online sales.
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New Rules and Habits<\/strong><\/p>\n In Italy, for example, the DPCM of March 11, 2020, which led to the closure of all commercial activities except those dealing with essential goods, forced citizens to stay home in quarantine, thus limiting in-person contact and traditional in-store shopping. The result? The computer became the only channel for purchasing products.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no surprise that research firms reported an 81% increase in online purchases during this period. This growth was mainly concentrated in essential goods, insurance, and healthcare products.<\/p>\n During the reference period, 31% of users in Italy said they bought products online that they would typically have bought in-store.<\/p>\n The Current Situation Promises Growth<\/strong><\/p>\n Since e-commerce quickly became one of the preferred channels for product purchases, small businesses that had tried to profit from the pandemic by increasing prices (especially for hygiene products and face masks) now find themselves facing the massive growth of Large-Scale Retailers (GDO). Starting from August 2020, the GDO saw a renewed acceleration in its growth trend, after several signs of slowdown, moving from a +196% in April 2020 to a +94% in July 2020.<\/p>\n