Grocery and day-to-day items begin the shift online
Nearly two-thirds of people agree that they have changed their shopping behaviours due to COVID-19 and a quarter of people are now shopping for day-to-day items online more often.
Although there has been a significant pivot to online retail due to COVID-19, shopping for day-to-day items has remained mainly in-store, particularly when it comes to fresh produce. Groceries, toiletries, and alcohol remain purchases which the majority of people still buy predominantly in-store, a survey of over 1,000 Irish adults showed (March 2021).
Although only one in seven (14%) think that their shopping will be online after COVID-19, this is a substantial increase on the less than one in twenty people (4%) that previously did their shopping for day-to-day items online. Those who have started online shopping more frequently during the pandemic are also more likely to continue. Three-quarters of people (74%) who have moved their shopping for day-to-day items online due to COVID-19 say they will continue online shopping after the pandemic rather than going in-store.