Before the Coronavirus took over and changed our everyday life, being a consumer looked alot different. Due to the wake of the pandemic, in store shopping looks different in cities like London in the United Kingdom. The pandemic is quickly changing how consumers shop and what they shop for. “Retail sales rose above pre pandemic levels in July, the first month non-essential shops were allowed to reopen, official figures showed (Inman, 2020). The consumers desire to shop has increased since the ease of the lockdown in May.
In response to many Oxford street shops opening in July, internet shopping also suffered a noticeable decrease in sales. Online shopping sales remain more than fifty percent higher than in February, this helped push overall retail sales above pre pandemic levels for the first time. “ Household good stores and other non-food stores experienced the sharpest recovery, increasing sales by six percent respectively above their February 2020” (Inman, 2020).
According to the Office of National Statistics, DIY products sold well due to people starting home renovation projects during lockdown. Retail stores are putting precautions into place to prepare for the influx of consumers excited to get back a sense of normalcy. Having hand sanitizer at the entrances, social distancing signs on tables and the floors throughout the store makes it safer for shoppers to enjoy their shopping experience.
