European Retail Handbook: Inc Impact of COVID-19  

"In 2019, retail sales increased for the vast majority of European countries, and the combined value of retail sales for the 36 major economies covered in Mintel's European Retail Handbook reached €3.5 trillion. Germany has the largest retail market but France appears second, followed by Russia and placing the UK fourth. Luxembourg and Switzerland lead when in retail sales per capita. But with the arrival of COVID-19 in 2020 the retail sector has become disrupted. However, in spite of the impact of lockdowns and consumer caution, we still expect retail sales to grow during the year in local currency in half of the countries covered in the Handbook."

Vehicle Recovery: Inc Impact of COVID-19 - UK  

“The market for vehicle recovery is expected to suffer relatively minimal disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic. Assisted by the annual payment for most policies the sector is forecast to see recovery from 2021 helped by moves from many players in this market to move away from price competition and add value through wider support for motorists.”

- Chris Hadley, Research Analyst

This report will look at the following areas:

• The impact of COVID-19 on the vehicle recovery services market.

• Kitchens and Kitchen Furniture: Inc Impact of COVID-19 - UK  
  Kitchens and Kitchen Furniture: Inc Impact of COVID-19 - UK

  

  “COVID-19 will see kitchen furniture sales fall sharply amid a reduced appetite for big-ticket purchases in 2020, store closures, a reluctance to allow tradespeople into the home and a slowdown in the housing market. However, extended periods inside will see an unprecedented rise in kitchen usage across the UK, refocusing consumers on the importance of this space and creating new opportunities for the market moving forwards.”– Marco Amasanti, Retail Analyst
• European Retail Briefing: Inc Impact of COVID-19  
  European Retail Briefing: Inc Impact of COVID-19

  

  “The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect consumer behaviour in different ways across Europe. The importance of wearing a mask or face covering when outside the home appears to vary depending on each government’s rules, while other trends such as the shift to online shopping remain strong everywhere. The feeling of cooperation persists and we have seen retailers continue to innovate to maintain their relevance, sometimes blurring the lines between online and in-store shopping but ultimately diversifying their offering and using technology to increase their engagement with consumers.”Armando Falcao, European Retail Analyst, 22nd September 2020
• UK Retail Briefing: Inc Impact of COVID-19  
  UK Retail Briefing: Inc Impact of COVID-19

  

  “Christmas 2020 will be a festive season like no other. The COVID-19 pandemic will shift traditional shopping habits, strain will be placed on logistic networks and for many retailers it will be a make or break period. Despite consumer willingness to enjoy Christmas following the events of 2020 the economic realities will dampen spending and mean value will be crucial. ”Nick Carroll, Associate Retail Director
• Compras Online x Offline: Incluindo Impacto da COVID-19 - Brasil  
  Compras Online x Offline: Incluindo Impacto da COVID-19 - Brasil

  

  “Com a exceção de lojas e comércios essenciais, como mercados e farmácias, o impacto da COVID-19 nos comércio online e offline foram praticamente opostos. Enquanto o comércio offline foi severamente impactado, obrigando muitos comerciantes a fechar suas portas definitivamente, o comércio online cresceu e se expandiu como nunca no país. Mas para continuar crescendo, as plataformas online ainda precisam investir em soluções mais baratas e eficientes de entrega e opções de compras mais personalizadas. Enquanto isso, as lojas físicas precisam investir em um alto padrão de higiene, em uma melhor e mais autêntica experiência de compra e em um atendimento mais pessoal para atrair os consumidores de volta a loja.”
• 社交电商 - 中国  
  社交电商 - 中国

  

  “过去几年，社交媒体发展迅速。越来越多社交媒体加入社交电商行列，将视频直播和购物功能直接融入自身平台，使消费者可以在平台内完成一站式购物，而不需要跳转至传统电商平台新冠疫情的爆发和直播的热潮大大提高了消费者对社交电商的关注度。但消费者仍旧难以把“良好的质量、配送、售后服务”等特征与拼多多和微信微商此类的社交电商联系起来。社交电商可更好地利用上述特征与传统电商产业的竞争对手一争高下，夯实它们在赢得消费者青睐方面的领头羊地位。” – 夏月，研究分析师
• Online Retailing: Inc Impact of COVID-19 - Italy  
  Online Retailing: Inc Impact of COVID-19 - Italy

  

  “The COVID-19 outbreak has the potential to turbo-charge the online retailing industry in Italy, though this depends on the customer’s experience of individual retailers’ services. Amazon is likely to have been a big winner due to its already high levels of penetration and its focus on non-food segments, with non-food retailers most impacted by the outbreak. But – mainly for cultural reasons – the Italian market remains underdeveloped relative to other major European nations.”– Michael Oliver, Senior Retail Analyst
• Online Retailing: Inc Impact of COVID-19 - France  
  Online Retailing: Inc Impact of COVID-19 - France

  

  “COVID-19 has accelerated and brought forward existing trends in the French online retail sector, such as home delivery of groceries, and has expanded participation to include many new customers. The digital world has certainly worked to ease confinement; helping people to feed themselves, work remotely and stay in touch with loved ones. Grocery retailers responded promptly with initiatives to boost access to online shopping and as the high street struggles to adjust to the ‘next normal’, e-commerce will be of paramount importance for all retailers.”– Natalie Macmillan, Senior European Retail Analyst
• Online Retailing: Inc Impact of COVID-19 - Spain  
  Online Retailing: Inc Impact of COVID-19 - Spain

  

  “The online grocery sector in Spain is still in its infancy and the country’s grocers were quickly overwhelmed by the unprecedented demand during the country’s strict COVID-19 lockdown. With new online shopping behaviours expected to be here to stay e-commerce development in the food sector is likely to accelerate as retailers seek to offer this profitably. The looming recession is likely to be severe and we can expect many consumers to rein in their spending, making life tough for all retailers. Those that sell online and get the offer and experience right, will be well placed to be amongst the winners.”– Natalie Macmillan, Senior European Retail Analyst
• Online Retailing: Inc Impact of COVID-19 - Europe  
  Online Retailing: Inc Impact of COVID-19 - Europe

  

  “Online remains one of the fastest-growing sectors in retailing, with most markets seeing sales rise in double-digits every year. In Europe, countries such as Germany and the UK are at the most developed end of the spectrum, compared to others like Spain and Italy. Although shopping habits vary considerably around Europe for a variety of reasons, online shopping continues to gain popularity and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had a positive effect in terms of accelerating growth and encouraging consumers to shop online more often or even for the first time, creating a positive outlook for the future.”– Armando Falcao, European Retail Analyst
• Ethical Retailing: Inc Impact of COVID-19 - UK  
  Ethical Retailing: Inc Impact of COVID-19 - UK

  

  “The media and high-profile events have all helped to raise consumer awareness regarding ethical standards for retailers. This has been even more prominent during COVID-19, with many headlines covering how retailers have treated staff during the pandemic. Whereas the focus previously was on environmental solutions, consumers now have an increased desire to shop with retailers that have ethical people policies. With so many conflicting messages and many also viewing ethical shopping as an expensive alternative, retailers need to start doing a better job when it comes to educating consumers about how they can shop ethically, even on a budget.”
• Social Commerce - China  
  Social Commerce - China

  

  “Social commerce has evolved quickly during the past few years. Increasingly more social media platforms have jumped on the bandwagon officially by incorporating the livestreaming and shopping function directly into the platform so that consumers don’t have to be redirected to e-commerce platforms to make the final purchase. The outbreak of COVID-19 and thriving livestreaming commerce have also led social commerce to achieve new levels of consumer attention. Nevertheless, from consumers’ point of view, they are much less likely to associate the attributes such as good quality, delivery, and after-sales services with social commerce platforms like Pinduoduo and WeChat commerce. Social commerce could better leverage the above-mentioned attributes to compete against their direct competitors in traditional e-commerce industries to reinforce their leading position in winning consumers’ favour.”