Top 12 COVID-19 Trends in the
Consumer Goods Supply Chain
As the United States becomes the new epicenter of COVID-19, here’s a closer look at the country’s consumer goods supply chain and how the pandemic is changing shopping patterns among consumers.
Panic Induced Binge-Buying
Toilet paper and hand sanitizers emerged as the ultimatequarantine essentials.
- 1.Household toilet paper sales rocketed 845% in mid-March as states announced lockdowns.
- 2.Hand sanitizer sales skyrocketed 470% and disinfectant product sales shot up 385%.
Flying off Supermarket Shelves
Canned, dried, and refrigerated consumer goods areflying off the shelves in supermarkets.
- 3.Rice, flour, and pasta sales went up by 239%, 205%, and 179% respectively.
- 4.Frozen vegetables, fruit, and canned fish and meat sales rose by 129%, 117%, and 169%.
Online Shopping of Essentials
To avoid crowded supermarkets, more and more shoppersare turning online to find essentials.
- 5.The largest increase in E-commerce shopping of essentials was seen in Vietnam - 57%, India - 55%, China - 50%, and Italy - 31%.
- 6.The online purchase of household cleaning goods, baby products, work from home essentials, and pet care products went up by 210%, 201%, 84%, and 55% respectively.
Retailers Going Omnichannel
Grocery and food and beverage brands are working towardsomnichannel fulfillment.
- 7.More than 40% of American E-grocery shoppers during mid-March were first-time buyers.
- 8.‘Buy Online and Pick-up In-Store’ (BOIPS) orders in the U.S. surged by 62% during the first month of the outbreak
Proactive Healthy Buying
Consumers shifting towards more preventive and responsibleshopping of healthcare products.
- 9. The demand for surgical masks and gloves, personal wipes, and cold remedies surged by 377%, 231%, and 226%.
Safe Doorstep Delivery Practices
Greater emphasis is being placed on delivery options thatminimize social interactions.
- 10. 69% of shoppers consider home delivery as the safest option of buying during the pandemic.
- 11. Hyperlocal grocery delivery apps, Instacart, WalmartGrocery, and Shipt have seen daily downloads surge by 218%, 160%, and 124% respectively.
- 12. Hygenic grocery delivery and “click-and-collect” pickupservices in the U.S. rose to 31% since the outbreak.