Transformation of the shopping trends and habits

People are shopping online more than ever before. This trend has been highly influenced by the pandemic due to many restrictions it imposed, making it more convenient for individuals to simply shop online, instead of physically visiting stores. At one point these restrictions also implied closing of retail stores, thus some people were forced to change their shopping habits which resulted in a boost in growth of online shopping trend.

The trend involves purchasing products and services via the internet using credit or debit cards, with the purchased goods being delivered to your home. By shopping online, customers benefit from having accessibility to a global marketplace, meaning they can shop from anywhere in the world. This convenience automatically means that customers can choose from any brand or store, being exposed to a wider selection and more options. As shopping online can be done at any time during the day, from electronic devices such as smartphones, laptops and computers, it is a time-saving process with more and more customers choosing to rather use this approach, than to take the time and effort to visit the stores.

While all these benefits influenced the trend of online shopping to grow, there are some disadvantages to it as well. There are customers who enjoy the whole experience of shopping, preferring to do it in person, having the ability to feel and try on the products before making the decision whether to purchase. Therefore, the necessity for a traditional brick-and-mortar store for the highest conversion rates, has not decreased, moreover it is still very present.

Though shopping online is time saving, the shipping time could take up to a few days or even weeks, which makes it less appealing to customers. This obstacle has led companies around the world, to establish the “Same-day delivery” model. “Same-day delivery” service provides quick delivery, which is a significant convenience for customers, who have then started creating a demand for most businesses to offer the same. This service has the potential to fundamentally change the way we shop. In an effort to keep up with clients’ demands, businesses have been working with their logistics partners to find innovative solutions to deliver packages as soon as possible. Most retailers have already added an e-commerce channel to their traditional bricks-and-mortar sales approach. The combination with same-day delivery could help retain some of the customers that found online shopping less appealing due to prolonged shipping.

This model has not yet been thoroughly established everywhere, more specific in less developed countries, such as Macedonia. While the online shopping trend in Macedonia is on the rise, the improvements in the logistics and supply chain segments require further development in order to keep the trend growing.