In recent years, all the habits of the customers all around the world were located “in the street” as a result of such megatrends as urbanization, high prices for rental housing, small apartments, the availability of Internet connection through on virtually any device, perfect availability of the network, and so on. Financial company LeoGaming Pay CEO Alona Shevtsova talks about this in her blog hosted at Obozrevatel that is the most visited Ukrainian information website.
“For example, in Germany, the number of people who went out for lunch or dinner in public catering places once in a while increased from 9.9 million in 2015 to 11.8 million in 2019. However, the coronavirus pandemic has transformed the most basic processes in our lives and forced most consumers to adapt to new ways of working and relaxing. In short, all the ideas mentioned above are an attempt of a serious justification for the “everything has moved to our homes or online” phrase. Today, when we are already talking about the effective vaccines, it is important to understand whether all these processes were forced by a short-term trend, or whether new habits will remain with us in the long term,” – says Alona Shevtsova, CEO of FC LeoGaming Pay.
According to her, the coronavirus has become a key development factor in the history of the e-commerce market. While quarantine restrictions were imposed around the world and physical retail stores were closed, more and more people were getting used to buying things online, and businesses were building the most convenient way to work with customers in the current circumstances. So, according to the Shopify report, more than half (54%) of customers worldwide have increased their spending on online purchases since the onset of the coronavirus, and 4 out of 5 (79%) people plan to buy something online in the next six months. Users in the age group from 18 to 34, who are deeply involved in digital technologies, are the main participants of the trend and influence the way of business development. Many people are used to making purchases through social networks, thus making marketers in the field of e-commerce increase the cost of promotion in social networks. Many stores have done a lot of work to offer high-quality services. For example, they bring the items chosen on the website to the client’s home for fitting. I think that many people who do not have time to go to the stores will like this opportunity to make purchases. This year, people actively bought food, furniture for the arrangement of the workplace at home, sports equipment, medicines, and clothing online. According to a Deloitte report, people plan to continue to make more purchases online even after the pandemic.
“I think everyone knows about the positive trends in the development of delivery services in 2020. Even when you are walking down the street, especially in the center of Kyiv, it is difficult not to notice the number of people with bright backpacks working for delivery services. According to Glovo, the market in Ukraine grew by 6-7 times compared to last year in 2020, while the number of deliveries from supermarkets increased by almost 15-18 times in 2020. During the lockdown, people got used to ordering food and other goods through apps. And now, when authorities lift restrictions, people continue to use convenient and fast apps. Delivery services noticed the trend, and rapidly added new cities, expanded the area of activity, and implemented various functions, showing more and more people all the advantages of the delivery through applications. This habit has become so popular this year, that it is expected to increase the number of deliveries of ready-made food from restaurants by 3-4 times, and products from supermarkets by 6-8 times and other goods in 2021,” – says Alona Shevtsova, CEO of LeoGaming, CEO of LeoGaming Pay.
Besides, according to the expert, the need for various payment methods resulted in total rejection of cash payments, and mass adoption of cashless transactions, online payments, and contactless payments in 2020. By 2021 all these methods will be transformed into a convenient and favorite habit. Today, users need seamless solutions and new payment methods. In addition to the fintech field, this habit is also important for the retail sector. In 2020, the advantages of multi-channel business became obvious, and a significant part of retail stores opened online stores to increase sales. These days, digital sales channels must include the maximum variety of payment methods and a seamless way of purchasing for the customer. Customers are used to cashless payments, and this habit will only become more and more popular.
According to the CEO of LeoGaming Pay, Alona Shevtsova, the closure of cinemas, concert halls, museums, and other entertainment centers made people actively look for ideas for leisure at home. According to Deloitte, 38% of consumers say that during the pandemic, they subscribed to a new digital media, a streaming service for movies and TV series, or, for example, played video games for the first time. Two-thirds of these people said that they will continue to use services after the pandemic, and 27% of consumers plan to add more subscriptions. Games became the most popular way of entertainment. According to a Deloitte survey, 48% of those surveyed have played video games since the middle of March. As a result, the volume of “cloud” gaming in 2020 amounted to $585 billion, which is three times higher than just a year ago.
Talking about sports, it is worth noting that a significant number of people have successfully adapted to training sessions at home or on the street. Moreover, it turned out to be less time-consuming and quite effective. The demand for workout apps has more than doubled.
In 2020, people have learned to have fun and spend time at home. Research shows that new habits will stay with us for a long time.
We have to highlight the fact that many other habits were developed during this pandemic, such as remote communication, the constant use of masks and antiseptics, and so on. However, these habits are unlikely to remain with us for long after the stabilization of the epidemiological situation. For example, only 16.5% of those surveyed by Deloitte will continue to communicate with friends and family through various applications. For better or for worse, people strive for live communication and discussion of issues. Even the companies that permanently moved employees to remote locations still use their offices for meetings.
