by staff

This year’s pandemic has had a massively negative impact on so many businesses around the globe and sadly, we have seen many, which have been forced to close their doors for good. With this being said there are some other businesses which have thrived and the delivery business in particular falls squarely into that category. With so many of us forced into lockdown, we have become reliant on items being delivered to our doors so that we don’t have to go out. From gift providers like Pearsons Florist to grocery stores and retail giants like Amazon, they have all been shipping more than ever before and this has greatly changed the online delivery business, possibly for good.

Local Businesses

One positive that has come from this pandemic is that we have refocused our attention on the local economy and those businesses around us which have been struggling to survive. These businesses may not have sold online previously but they were forced to pivot and look towards workarounds given that they no longer had customers coming through their doors. This is one change which we certainly hope continues as those small businesses in our locality need our support.

Ramped Up Hygiene

Those working in the delivery trade have seen an entirely new way of working with regards to hygiene. In some cases, this has meant leaving products outside the door without coming into contact with the customer, in others it has meant wearing face coverings and masks, using gloves and sanitary equipment like alcohol gel. There is no doubt that the human element of delivering goods has been completely removed.

Sales Volume

There is no question that the volume of sales online have skyrocketed during this period and that has been highly beneficial for so many working within this industry. The net value of Amazon as an example has ballooned as so many people have been looking at not only buying essentials, but also those looking to buy activities and equipment to keep them entertained during lockdown.

Lasting Changes

It is not just the amount of stuff that we buy online which has increased but also the range of people who have now experienced buying online more than ever before. The concern is that so many of us will continue to buy online in the future and that will spell further danger for the high street, which was already struggling before lockdown. There was a big push to try and get people to buy from local stores and markets and whilst the purchase of goods online will still support them, so many businesses will end up closing their physical premises based on a lack of custom and instead move to online sales. This could result in the further erosion of the high street, and a higher dependence on staying home and ordering in, contributing towards the damage of society and community.

We should all be very thankful that we live in a world whereby we can order just about anything we need through an online delivery service. Especially during the lockdown, this has been critical to helping people get through this tough time. Whilst there is a risk that we could continue this pattern of ordering everything to our doors, the lack of socializing which we have seen in recent months will hopefully inspire people to get out and about once we are reopen. The question that remains is whether or not we will be able to find the balance between maintaining our online orders to support delivery services, and still get out and about to socialize and support local business?

This is a paid post.