Here’s What Americans Are Buying During Coronavirus Pandemic

. . .As people remain sheltered in their homes due to the coronavirus outbreak, online shopping has surged as a replacement for an old-fashioned trip to the store. In addition to the overall boom in e-commerce spending, sales data reveals that following an initial stockpiling of goods, many online shoppers have shifted their focus to entertainment products such as books and games as they adjust to the new normal of life in quarantine.

E-commerce spending in the U.S. is up more than 30% from the beginning of March through mid-April compared with the same period last year, according to market research firm Rakuten Intelligence. That is significantly more growth — about 50% more — than the annual 20% growth in online shopping the firm has become accustomed to seeing in recent years.

This snapshot of the economy paints a picture of both what Americans are buying and how shopper priorities have shifted over the course of the extended quarantine period.

It also offers a stark contrast to recently released figures on U.S. retail sales, which include estimates for brick-and-mortar businesses. The 8.7% plunge in March was the biggest decline since the government started tracking it in 1992.

An initial surge in online ordering appears to have been driven by a run on staples as it became increasingly likely that people would be staying home for the foreseeable future. (Read more from “Here’s What Americans Are Buying During Coronavirus Pandemic” HERE)

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