Because of COVID-19, an increase in online shopping has put a strain on in-person stores trying to keep their doors open. Online shopping had already expanded, but COVID-19 accelerated this trend, according to pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Online shopping is readily available and is a low stress activity considering the decreased interaction with other shoppers, according to business.com. The in-person shopping experience no longer excites shoppers to the same level as it did prior to the surge in online shopping, according to theweek.com. In-person shopping used to feel like an outing rather than an errand, but now stores are facing problems with their inventory and staffing, according to thehustle.co.
In 2024, the global number of online buyers reached 2.71 billion, according to orbelo.com. For online sales, stores are expecting customers to make 20.1 percent more purchases than they would in-person. Additionally, online sales will grow 8.8 percent in 2024, according to forbes.com. As of 2023, consumers have spent more time shopping online than in-person, resulting in a 63 percent increase in online sales, according to mailmondo.com.
Online shopping poses challenges for in-person stores. Since online stores do not have as many additional expenses as in-person stores do, such as rent and operating expenses, they can afford to be competitive with their pricing, according to afeusa.org. The number of malls and in-person stores in America are slowly decreasing because of the growing popularity of online shopping. As a result, in-person stores are moving online or disappearing altogether. Additionally, since online retailers have lower expenses without in-person stores, shoppers get better deals on their purchases, according to campuspress.yale.edu.
Despite the growth of online shopping, consumers have not entirely abandoned in-person shopping. In fact, 84 percent of all retail sales still occur in stores, and 46 percent of shoppers still prefer to shop and interact with sellers in-person, according to pmc.gov. Shoppers still value the benefits of in-person shopping because they get to view items in store and leave with a purchase in hand. This experience makes in-person shopping a pleasurable outing. Moreover, the in-person shopping experience can be a personal experience for a shopper as sales associates assist with customer needs, according to thebossmagazine.com.
The recent influx in online shopping has indirectly affected pollution in large cities like New York City, New York. The increase in home delivery vehicles causes congestion and more roadway traffic, according to npr.org The extra traffic has also led to more pollution problems in cities. Since COVID-19, stores have delivered over 2.4 million packages to customers throughout the city causing a 60 percent increase in online sales, according to The New York Times. Mr. David Vega-Barachowitz, an associate at WXY, an architecture firm in New York City, commented on the effects of home deliveries in New York City, according to technologyreview.com.
“We live in a city whose main pitch is the ability to walk out your door, get a carton of milk, go to a bookstore, go to a movie, etc,” Mr. Vega-Barachowitz said, according to technologyreview.com. “It’s another crisis of convenience, akin to when, in the 1950s, suburban shopping centers began competing with city downtowns.”
Before COVID-19, stores catered more to customer desires and were more appealing to shop at, according to ronntorossian.medium.com. The lack of a welcoming environment from retail stores has turned many people away from in-person shopping and towards the online option. When online shopping, the excitement and anticipation of receiving a product releases dopamine. Ms. Pamela Danziger, a market researcher, discussed the excitement that comes with shopping in-person, according to vox.com.
“Shopping really was a delightful thing, a special thing that you got to do,” Ms. Danziger said, according to vox.com. “Bloomingdale’s, the famed New York department store founded in 1861, was one of the first on the forefront of experiential retail, creating a beautiful, comforting in-store environment and fostering an aspirational desire to consume.”
Featured Image by Gianna Rodrigues ’27
