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.