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Opinion: As COVID-19 Precipitates Big Consumer Shift, Omnichannel Adapts

In the wake of COVID-19, expect a new landscape to emerge that reveals a shift in the balance between the channels that constitute "omnichannel." An as-of-yet unknown portion of the increased reliance on e-comm is likely to be permanent.

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This early shift was a legislated one, done for the benefit of humanity to save lives in the face of a crisis. It was hardly the result of a sudden fundamental shift in thinking. But the synthetic, forced shift may have natural, cultural staying power, at least according to Abe Eshkenazi, CEO, the Association for Supply Chain Management

“As we relax a lot of the stay-at-home requirements, you’ll see those individuals—ones who previously didn’t use delivery services or curbside pick-up, and otherwise wouldn’t have tried it—say, ‘You know what? This is okay. I don’t have a problem with getting my fruits and my vegetables delivered to me. I don’t have to self-select in an aisle, I’m comfortable with someone else doing it for me.’”

There are immediate, short-term challenges, namely the number of delivery drivers that are available, or the safety of the individuals that are picking the fruit that need to be addressed. But there will be a shift in demand to a consumer as individuals who never would have made the change without being forced to do so. The percentages are what’s a critical, in terms of how much we’ll move to a home-based environment versus how much will go back to what we can describe as pre-COVID-19.
It’s unknown what percentage of people will make the turn from their previous mix of foodservice/commercial dining and retail to e-commerce. But the point, Eshkenazi says, is that the percentage is far greater than zero. There will be some conversion, and big brands like PepsiCo. Inc., are preparing for it. The brand owner recently rolled out PantryShop.com and Snack.com, e-comm plays that replace more traditional food channels, both foodservice and retail. 

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