Rising 2020 Forecasts; Instacart Expands; US Ranks Second for Relief Packages
Forecasting the remainder of the year is challenging considering the duration of the COVID-19 crisis seems to stretch out further each month. In addition, it remains uncertain the degree to which new shoppers now prefer online channels to B&M channels. That said, many manufacturers have increased their 2020 growth plans…
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Return to “Normal”; Antitrust Charge in Europe; Income Breakdown
While the COVID-19 crisis will leave us with a “new normal,” we have been gauging when consumers expect to resume behaviors that were considered commonplace prior to the crisis, such as going out to eat and shopping at an indoor mall. In comparing the results from our study last month,…
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Renewed Focus on Drop Shipping; Amazon Summer Sale; Walmart Digital Mix
Our research indicates a significant uptick in drop shipping as eTailer capacity constraints and inefficiencies have limited the ability to fulfill demand. Many vendors are proactively increasing their drop ship activity to minimize supply chain issues and better serve demand. In addition, Walmart and Costco have more recently been approaching…
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Bankruptcies; Instagram Checkout and Retailers; Online Grocery Demand
Last month's bankruptcy filing by Tuesday Morning follows a number of retail and brand bankruptcies that we have been tracking since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, including Pier 1 Imports, J.C. Penney, and others. These retailers were pushed over the proverbial financial edge by a combination of forced closures from COVID-19…
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Amazon Media; Social Commerce Update; Material Acceleration in eCommerce Growth
Amazon’s advertising business grew 44 % during 1Q (ending March 2020), up from 41% during the prior quarter. In our research, 1P manufacturers on average were increasing the amount of spend with Amazon’s paid search advertising units (AMS), citing continued positive ROI’s and the reduction in other promotional vehicles like…
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Government Stimulus, Amazon Shipping, Wayfair up 90%
Feedback from our most recent consumer survey indicates that around 60% of consumers have received a government stimulus check, with an additional 27% expecting to receive one soon. Of those who have received government stimulus, our data indicates that they are tending to spend more on groceries, rather than on…
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Cautious Consumers; Etsy Up 130%; Amazon Growth
Consumers Likely to Wait to Return to Normal ActivitiesIn our most recent consumer study, we found that while a majority of respondents expect the COVID-19 crisis to subside by the end of July, they are likely to wait longer to resume a number of typical activities that involve traveling, shopping…
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Four Year Leap; eBay GMV; Amazon Earnings
The COVID-19 crisis has led to an enormous mix shift towards digital. Based on our benchmark results, manufacturers expect eCommerce to reach 21% of their U.S. retail sales in 2021, up from 15% seen in 2019. These results are consistent across essential and non-essential categories and this amounts to four-plus…
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eCommerce Share, Target Digital up 275%, Walmart.com and Online Grocery Growth
Feedback from our most recent COVID-19 consumer survey indicates shoppers continue to migrate online due to the ongoing crisis. Within general merchandise, eCommerce share accelerated by 5 points since our last survey (now at 55%), with 58% expecting to purchase online over the next 30 days (vs. 54% in last…
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