Europe has turned into a continent of online shoppers during the peak of the pandemic outbreak. According to data, over a quarter of European consumers will remain shopping more than they did before the coronavirus broke out. This increase is one of the findings in a survey conducted by Capterra among consumers from France, Germany, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Italy and Spain.

“96 percent of European consumers buy something online. But the corona crisis has seen a lot of changes in the number of products purchased online per month”, pointed out Capterra.

“During the lockdown we have seen shops forced to close their activities, leaving people with no choice to buy online. And if shops were already open, it was unwise for vulnerable groups and the elderly to physically go to the store. As a result, much more was bought online than usual.”

The report shows that especially the number of online shoppers ordering between 6 and 10 products per month has changed: from 10% to 17%. “And the number of online shoppers ordering between 11 and 20 products per months has even doubled,” said the company. 

Without doubts, the Covid-19 pandemic has drastically changed the way we shop online and offline. Food retailers have benefited from it, while omnichannel non-food retailers are just starting to recover. How has the coronavirus impacted consumer trends in Europe? Research from PWC shows that it’s mostly consumers in countries that have been affected the most by the pandemic who are determined to spend less, but over 80% of European consumers who started buying groceries online during the pandemic are planning to continue to do so.

 Fly Research has also revealed the same trend in a survey among 15 different countries in Europe. In a time where we need to be at home more, people are using this extra time indoors to learn new skills online. 

Capterra suggested the purchasing behavior of 59% of European consumers has changed permanently since the corona crisis. “About a quarter of e-shoppers will continue to make more digital purchases, despite the fact that the shops are now open again. In addition, a small group indicates that they continue to avoid physical stores for the time being because of the risk of getting sick. And 22% will continue to buy products online that they always bought in brick and mortar stores before the corona crisis.”