Since lockdown was enforced back in March 2020, the world has changed. From spending time with family over video chat to not being able to visit our favourite restaurants and bars, to say it has been tough is a huge understatement.
However, we have managed to maintain our love for shopping, with e-commerce sites providing us with a range of products and retail services that have kept us sane during these challenging times.
Below, we look at a few of the most notable shopping habits that have been formed during the Covid-19 outbreak.
Buying PPE online
As the news of coronavirus hitting the UK spread, panic consumed us all, with all of us doing what we could to protect ourselves and our loved ones from infection. This mainly involved searching for PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). Being hugely in-demand across the globe, PPE covers items such as masks, face shields, nitrile gloves and gowns; items that protect the wearer from catching and spreading the virus.
This was reflected in online sales, with PPE being the most searched-for term on online shopping sites. This has led to several PPE suppliers and PPE brokers popping up online over the past few months.
Hair and beauty products
With hairdressers shut and make-up artists unable to provide mobile services, men and women are having to find new ways to keep their hair and beauty regimes up during lockdown. This has included purchasing an increased number of products and beauty devices online. According to the latest market review, the items most in-demand online are:
- Eyebrow tints and laminators
- Hair dye
- Skincare products
- Dermaplaning blades
- Gel nail polish and UV light kits
Online food shopping
Dave Lewis, CEO of Tesco, said that during the Covid-19 outbreak ‘the single biggest thing has been the change in online shopping’. This has certainly been the case when looking at online food shopping sales which were up 20.6% last month. That’s £524m higher than they were during the same period last year.
There are many reasons for this. From people not wanting to come into contact with others at the supermarket to needing more food due to spending more time eating at home, the money spent on food has inevitably spiked.
While online food shopping activity is starting to wane slightly, many big supermarkets plan to enhance their e-commerce sites to cater to the increased number of online orders they are receiving.
Here at addtocart.co.uk, we have been helping our growing number of customers find the products and services they need online, doing our bit to make lockdown that bit more bearable. Take a look at our items and gifts now and start saving money on the things you love.
