Three years after the start of the coronavirus pandemic, how, where and when American consumers shop and eat has transformed.
People have come to love some changes, like curbside pickup and more takeout options, and have mixed feelings on others, like shorter store hours and QR codes replacing real menus in restaurants.
Some major COVID changes like social distancing measures and retailer mask mandates were short-term and are unlikely to be reinstated.
“The overwhelming way that shopping has changed since the pandemic is that people got more comfortable with a digitized experience with online shopping,” said NerdWallet personal finance expert Kimberly Palmer.
Curbside pickup went from being a convenient perk to a public health necessity overnight but is now a permanent feature at most large stores.
Almost every retailer shifted towards e-commerce including offering buy-online-pickup-in-store options as a “safer” way to limit exposure when shoppers were looking to make fewer trips into stores.
Instacart and Ship both added staff to help keep up with demand. Walmart and Target also added staff for curbside pickup and expanded offerings.
The Walmart+ membership program — with unlimited free delivery from stores for orders $35 or more — launched in September 2020.
“Curbside is a trend that will not disappear, simply because a lot of consumers love the convenience and simplicity,” GlobalData managing director Neil Saunders told Axios, adding it also saves retailers money by not having to ship items.
In some cases, it costs more to use on-demand services but Palmer said many shoppers are willing to pay for the convenience.
The online growth has also lessened the effects of shorter store hours, Palmer said. “I think there’s a solid case to be made that consumers actually overall have more hours that they can shop because of the upgraded online shopping experience,” she said.
Stores are doubling down by opening stores with more drive-thru lanes and are starting to allow consumers to make returns curbside.
Target said it is rolling out the ability to make returns through its Drive Up service this spring and expects to reach all stores by the end of the summer.
Stores are encouraging customers to use their apps for loyalty programs and discounts as more retailers have stopped having printed sales circulars since COVID.
COVID accelerated the death of the physical coupon, which has been replaced by more QR codes and digital coupons.
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