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The Post-COVID Consumer: The Future of Brick and Mortar Stores
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From niche to normal:
The accelerated adoption curve
In many ways, COVID-19 simply accelerated developments
that were already underway. The world's largest stores and
retail brands have been experimenting with new fulfillment
methods and shopping experiences for years, and this period
just made it more appealing for consumers to try them. 2020
was the year that the "digital" bet paid off for businesses that
had heavily invested in digital inf rastructure and services.
Companies that had planned to roll out digital and digitally
enhanced services over the next couple years found
themselves implementing these solutions in just a few days.
One McKinsey study suggests that COVID-19 accelerated
this digitization by an average of seven years.
But something else happened during this time: consumers
who would have never adopted these digital services or
tried alternative shopping experiences were forced to rely
on them. Baby boomers and the silent generation have
been notoriously slow to embrace tech solutions, but cut
off f rom their usual shopping methods and motivated to
avoid crowded spaces, even seniors opted to try services like
curbside pickup and learn how to checkout groceries and
other essentials online.
Let's explore some of the consumer behaviors that
transitioned f rom niche to normal during the pandemic, and
how we can expect these changes to shape the post-COVID
consumer.
Changes in consumer
behavior as a result of
the global pandemic:
85% of shoppers
increased curbside
pickup usage
More than 600%
increase in online
grocery purchases
94% higher conversion
rate on AR-enabled
product pages
SOURCE: McKinsey & Company. October
5, 2020. How COVID-19 has pushed
companies over the technology tipping
point—and transformed business forever
