Growth of E-commerce During Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has shaped our world is many ways. Some for the worst but some for the
better. As we know the most push in advancement of weaponry and defence systems were observed
during the second world war, a similar advancement in e-commerce and hygiene has been observed
against our war with the deathly virus. Various innovations and new technologies, distribution
channels and online platforms have been developed and risen to high priority in these dire
conditions.

The E-commerce industry is over a decade old in India. The Electronic commerce services shortly
known as E-commerce services has been a great support for the economy since the pandemic
began. Unlike most of the other industries the pandemic came as a boon to the E-commerce
division. Started during the ‘90s and since then E-commerce have come a long way. It is nothing but
buying and selling of goods on internet. Today, even in a developing country like India E-commerce
has anything and everything to offer. The E-commerce is not only limited to traditionally designed
websites, mainly they have access to physical retailers and small businesses around the country.

During the pandemic there was a significant surge in the E-commerce industry, mostly because of
the months old lockdown which made people stop going to physical shops and buy necessary items.
According to the Business Standard “Indian e-commerce is to grow by 84% in 4 years, helped by
covid 19 impact” (March 10, 2021) studies conducted by Worldpay FIS. Also, we must thank the
digitization of India which has enabled multiple pathways for easy online transactions. People are
nowadays well- equipped with electronics for accessing the online services. Consumers have shown
a change of trend in shopping and prefer to do it from the safety and the comfort of their house.
Due to the very same reason many stores and retailers who relied heavily on outlets and showrooms
for product sale has started investing in online shopping websites, online checkout and payment
portals or gateways for hassle free buyer experience. This is a trend which is being observed on a
global scale. Online selling platforms are also not leaving a single opportunity to satisfy their
customers. As the world has gone virtual for most of their daily work; they are more and more keen
to purchase stuffs from E-commerce websites. No matter what a customer needs, be it electronics,
kitchen appliances, books, grocery, cooked meals, furniture, gift items etc, there is always an E-
commerce website selling one or the other. The pandemic has made it difficult for many to visit
families and friends and exchange goods, but E-commerce has strongly stood to fulfil those since the
beginning of covid-19. The websites are well equipped with their digital marketing strategies,
products and delivery services. More and more people are recruited every single day by the E-
commerce bodies to serve the ever-rising need of customers in online support, home delivery of
food and similar logistical requirements.

Moreover, one can say after witnessing the recent trends that E-commerce is only going to grow
more in the near future and companies like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Grofers have a long run to
cover.

-By Sohni Ghosh Dastidar

Registration No. 2127655