#Corona’s impact on e-commerce commerce.

The permanent lockdown in Germany, which has now lasted for more than a year, has pushed many retailers and online stores to the brink of insolvency. Even artists and restaurateurs are suffering significantly from the Corona crisis to this day. The virus and its mutants brought a year-long economic standstill, but also significant digital progress. This, in turn, has had a positive impact in many areas – especially in Germany, where digitization tends to lag behind. The corona pandemic is also having an impact on online retail – in two ways. The big players in the industry – such as Amazon, Ebay and marketplaces – will emerge as winners, while the smaller operators of online stores will suffer because their sales will decline despite everything. In a study from December 2020, the Nuremberg-based Konsumforschungsgesellschaft (“GfK” for short) identified an increased level of propensity to buy and an increase in optimism. In addition, there was hope that short-time work would come to an end. Due to the occupational situation of the affected employees – above all, this includes students and those who only have a mini-job – is meanwhile impacting on consumer sentiment. At least this is the opinion of the experts from consumer research, who have also noted a growing “income pessimism”. Income pessimism is leading to a reduced propensity to buy, as many of the employees concerned assume that an economic recession is still imminent.