VST

Let's talk about your next big project.

This field is required.

This field is required.

This field is required. Please add correct email.

This field is required.

This field is required. Please add correct phone number.

This field is required.

This field is required.

This field is required.

By submitting, you consent to VST processing your information in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
We take your privacy seriously.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

VST
About Services Technologies Industries Partners Contact
  • Home
  • About
  • Services
  • Technologies
  • Industries
  • Partners
  • Insights & Blog
  • Careers
  • Contacts

How the Covid-19 Pandemic has reshaped Retail and E-Commerce

April 25, 2021
Adil Shafique

Life before 2020 was a lot different from what we have today; businesses were mostly done from person to person. This happened regardless of how many business owners have tried to push the idea of carrying out transactions online. However, all of that changed when the world was faced with a pandemic in 2020; we had no other choice but to focus solely on doing business without direct physical contact.

The effect of Covid-19 on Retail And E-Commerce

Before the world was faced with the covid-19 pandemic, online shopping had an annual growth of 4.5 percent. This seems like an impressive number until you realize that the growth has tripled since the pandemic. The world was in complete lockdown when the pandemic broke out. Only health workers and delivery workers were allowed to move around. Businesses had to close, and retailers had to develop innovative ways to make money and get their goods and services to consumers and clients; they had to turn E-commerce. Although not all businesses could survive in that space, some of them completely shut down while others filed for bankruptcy.

E-Commerce and Digital Financial Services

While the pandemic caused a spike in online businesses’ growth, financial services had to improve, and some new ones were birthed. This development was a no-brainer as the financial services were the channels through which these payments were made. Services like insurance, digital payments, and credit are currently offered by non-financial firms at their point of sale.

The pandemic saw the growth of companies like Alibaba, Jumia, MercadoLibre, and Amazon as they provided goods and services online. As a matter of fact, the CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, became the richest person on earth according to Forbes, during the pandemic. The companies mentioned above added digital payment facilitation to their services to expand their reach.

A pandemic with new opportunities

The unexpected occurrence of the pandemic left the world uncertain when it first arrived. Everyone had a lot of questions in their mind; no one knew what to do from there. Turning to the digital way of life was more like a last resort than a “choice.” However, this last resort turned out to be a blessing for everyone who maximized it. In most countries, there was a spike in unique digital shoppers. The only countries that did not experience such an increase were restricted from economic activities, and these countries were few and far between.

According to a report, there has been a wild growth in the E-commerce rate in regions like the middle east, the United States, and Africa. This growth reshaped business operations and consumer behavior. The pandemic broke out a year ago, and it already seems like this new way of business is the only way there is. It is no more away; it has become “the way.” Apart from the pandemic causing business owners and consumers to turn to E-commerce, it caused a spike in demand toward digital commerce.

During the first few weeks of the pandemic, there was a hundred percent increase in demand for pharmacy products and essential goods. This report was made by MercadoLibre in Latin America. While in Africa, the online merchant Jumia reported that they had a four times increase in the demand for groceries. And Amazon had a 37 percent sales increase from the previous year when the pandemic hit. 

Several companies still struggle with this shift, and it is quite sad to see. Although, it is understandable that not everyone can move from one mode of operation to another without going through stress. However, you do not have to bother about that because our IT service helps you with all that digital transformation. Our dedicated team will ensure your business blends seamlessly with this new era. At the same time, you operate with the same mode of operation.

The new normal

Apart from causing a spike in the growth of existing digital businesses, the covid-19 pandemic caused an awakening. Many digital businesses changed their operations method and gained prominence in regions like Latin America, Asia, and Africa. They saw the opportunities that “the new normal” brought and ran with it.

This will certainly cause the birth of new platforms that focus on specific niches. Of course, if their services are worth it, they will experience rapid growth like the ones mentioned above. This is already happening as we have seen people take to E-Commerce to sell unconventional goods online. Others provide services that will not be seen online before the pandemic. An example of this is a company called Compre Local in Brazil that provided a simplified payment solution for their clients to locate and acquire small items from upstart businesses close to them.  The story of Compre Local means that our IT services can and will help you adapt to this new normal regardless of the type of goods and service you render or intend to render.

All Insights & Blogs

Telecare and Telemonitoring within different Specialties

Telecare involves employing a wide spectrum of technologies to encourage people’s health. It aids healthcare services providers in monitoring the patients in their clinical wards. These are really helpful to medical practitioners in easing their operations and also to reduce their nurses and other medical staffs. As COVID-19 keeps spreading across nations and hasn’t been …

Data Science Vs. Data Analytics Vs. Machine Learning

There is an immense growth in the rate of machine learning, data analytics, and data science. This steady growth has caused several firms to seek professionals that will help them attain efficient business decisions. For many who are new to them, data science, data analytics, and machine learning may be a tad alien to them, …

Strengthening your brand with Digital Marketing

The world is going deeper into the digital age; with more innovations coming up daily, it seems the digitalization of everything is not only here to stay; it is the future. Businesses and brands are also part of this digitalization; as a matter of fact, some of the most lucrative firms in the world are …

Discover how VST can help your organization succeed

VST will help you improve your business operations with an optimal service or assist you in launching a product that would win customers fast.

Quick Links

Services We Offer

Quick Links

  • Home
  • About
  • Services
  • Technologies
  • Industries
  • Partners
  • Insights & Blog
  • Careers
  • Contacts

Download Brochure

Follow us

Follow us to get connected with us.

Services We Offer

Digital Transformation

  • Big Data Consulting
  • Data Warehouse
  • Business Automation
  • Cloud Services
  • Data Management & Analytics
  • Business Intelligence & Visualization
  • Data Compliance
  • DevOps
  • E-Commerce
  • Enterprise Modernization

Advanced Tech

  • Augmented Reality
  • Virtual Reality
  • Mixed Reality
  • Robotic Process Automation
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Machine Learning
  • Internet of Things

IT Services

  • IT Infrastructure Services
  • Managed IT Services
  • Software Selection
  • Enterprise Solutions Consulting
  • Software & Application Development
  • IT Product Development
  • IT Help Desk Outsourcing
  • Mobile Apps
  • System Integration
  • Quality Assurance & Testing
  • Staff Augmentation

Tech Advisory

  • IT Strategy Consulting
  • Cloud Strategy Consulting
  • Profitability and Cost Management
  • Project Management (PMO)
  • Change Management (OCM)

Security & Compliance

  • Cyber Security Consulting
  • Cyber Security Risk Assessment
  • Compliance Assessment & Readiness
  • Cloud Security
  • 3rd Party Security Assurance
  • Network & IT Security
  • Infrastructure Security
  • Application Security
  • Risks and Compliance

Marketing & Branding

  • Digital Media Marketing
  • Digital Marketing Strategy
  • Social Media Services
  • Search Engine Optimization
  • Email Marketing
  • Identity & Branding
  • Experiments and Concepts
  • UI & UX

Marketing & Branding

  • Digital Media Marketing
  • Digital Marketing Strategy
  • Social Media Services
  • Search Engine Optimization
  • Email Marketing
  • Identity & Branding
  • Experiments and Concepts
  • UI & UX

Download Brochure

Follow us

Follow us to get connected with us.

Copyrights © 2001 - 2023 VST. All Rights Reserved.

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policies
  • Sitemap

Enter your email

and we’ll send you the brochure

Cookie Settings Center

  • Privacy Overview
  • Necessary Cookies (6)
  • Preferences Cookies (1)
  • Statistics Cookies (10)
  • Marketing Cookies (16)
  • Unclassified Cookies (7)
  • See our Cookie Policy

Privacy Overview

We use cookies and other tracking technologies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website, analyse your use of our products and services, assist with our promotional and marketing efforts, and provide content from third parties. More info

Necessary Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site may not work then.

Cookies used:

Name Provider Purpose Expiry Type
_GRECAPTCHA Google This cookie is used to distinguish between humans and bots. This is beneficial for the website, in order to make valid reports on the use of their website. 179 days HTTP
rc::a Google This cookie is used to distinguish between humans and bots. This is beneficial for the website, in order to make valid reports on the use of their website. Persistent HTML
rc::b Google This cookie is used to distinguish between humans and bots. Session HTML
rc::c Google This cookie is used to distinguish between humans and bots. Session HTML
__cfruid [x4] info.atempo.com
vstinc.com
Zendesk
This cookie is a part of the services provided by Cloudflare - Including load-balancing, deliverance of website content and serving DNS connection for website operators. Session HTTP
__cfduid vstinc.com Used by the content network, Cloudflare, to identify trusted web traffic. 29 days HTTP
Always Active

Preferences Cookies

These cookies allow the provision of enhance functionality and personalization, such as videos, live chats and your preferred language. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies, then some or all of these functionalities may not function properly.

Cookies used:

Name Provider Purpose Expiry Type
loglevel Wistia Maintains settings and outputs when using the Developer Tools Console on current session. Persistent HTML
Active

Statistics Cookies

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources, so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies, we will not know when you have visited our site.

Cookies used:

Name Provider Purpose Expiry Type
seg Appnexus Registers statistical data on users' behaviour on the website. Used for internal analytics by the website operator. Session Pixel
_ga [x2] Giphy
Google
Registers a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the website. 2 years HTTP
_gat [x2] Giphy
Google Tag Manager
Used by Google Analytics to throttle request rate 1 day HTTP
_gid [x2] Giphy
Google
Registers a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the website. 1 day HTTP
collect Google Used to send data to Google Analytics about the visitor's device and behavior. Tracks the visitor across devices and marketing channels. Session Pixel
__hssc Google Tag Manager Identifies if the cookie data needs to be updated in the visitor's browser. 1 day HTTP
__hssrc Google Tag Manager Used to recognise the visitor's browser upon reentry on the website. Session HTTP
__hstc Google Tag Manager Sets a unique ID for the session. This allows the website to obtain data on visitor behaviour for statistical purposes. 1 year HTTP
_ga_# Google Tag Manager Used by Google Analytics to collect data on the number of times a user has visited the website as well as dates for the first and most recent visit. 2 years HTTP
hubspotutk Google Tag Manager Sets a unique ID for the session. This allows the website to obtain data on visitor behaviour for statistical purposes. 1 year HTTP
Active

Marketing Cookies

These cookies are set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant ads on other sites. If you do not allow these cookies, you will not experience our targeted advertising across different websites.

Cookies used:

Name Provider Purpose Expiry Type
anj Appnexus Registers a unique ID that identifies a returning user's device. The ID is used for targeted ads. 3 months HTTP
px Appnexus Registers anonymised user data, such as IP address, geographical location, visited websites, and what ads
the user has clicked, with the purpose of optimising ad display based on the user's movement on websites
that use the same ad network.
Session Pixel
uuid2 Appnexus Registers a unique ID that identifies a returning user's device. The ID is used for targeted ads. 3 months HTTP
ga_clientId Brighttalk Used to send data to Google Analytics about the visitor's device and behavior. Tracks the visitor across
devices and marketing channels.
Persistent HTML
pagead/landing Google Collects data on visitor behaviour from multiple websites, in order to present more relevant advertisement -
This also allows the website to limit the number of times that they are shown the same advertisement.
Session Pixel
tr Facebook Used by Facebook to deliver a series of advertisement products such as real time bidding from third party
advertisers.
Session Pixel
ads/ga-audiences Google Used by Google AdWords to re-engage visitors that are likely to convert to customers based on the visitor's
online behaviour across websites.
Session Pixel
i/jot Twitter Inc. Sets a unique ID for the visitor, that allows third party advertisers to target the visitor with relevant
advertisement. This pairing service is provided by third party advertisement hubs, which facilitates
real-time bidding for advertisers.
Session Pixel
_an_uid Google Tag Manager Presents the user with relevant content and advertisement. The service is provided by third-party
advertisement hubs, which facilitate real-time bidding for advertisers.
6 days HTTP
_fbp Google Tag Manager Used by Facebook to deliver a series of advertisement products such as real time bidding from third party
advertisers.
3 months HTTP
_gac_UA-# Google Stores information about ad campaigns from Google Adwords to show targeted ads to the visitor. 3 months HTTP
_gcl_au Google Tag Manager Used by Google AdSense for experimenting with advertisement efficiency across websites using their services. 3 months HTTP
_gcl_aw Google Tag Manager Used to measure the efficiency of the website’s advertisement efforts, by collecting data on the conversion
rate of the website’s ads across multiple websites.
3 months HTTP
_gd_session Google Tag Manager Collects visitor data related to the user's visits to the website, such as the number of visits, average
time spent on the website and what pages have been loaded, with the purpose of displaying targeted ads.
1 day HTTP
_gd_svisitor Google Tag Manager Collects visitor data related to the user's visits to the website, such as the number of visits, average
time spent on the website and what pages have been loaded, with the purpose of displaying targeted ads.
2 years HTTP
_gd_visitor Google Tag Manager Collects visitor data related to the user's visits to the website, such as the number of visits, average
time spent on the website and what pages have been loaded, with the purpose of displaying targeted ads.
2 years HTTP
Active

Unclassified Cookies

These cookies are necessary to display content from social networks such as facebook, twitter, pinterest, etc. In such a way that you can share our content with your favorite social networks.

Cookies used:

Name Provider Purpose Expiry Type
_wchtbl_do_not_process Google Tag Manager Pending 1 day HTTP
_wchtbl_pixel_sync Google Tag Manager Pending 1 day HTTP
_wchtbl_sid Google Tag Manager Pending Session HTTP
_wchtbl_uid Google Tag Manager Pending 1 year HTTP
dpm_time_site Google Tag Manager Pending Session HTTP
dpm_url_count Google Tag Manager Pending Session HTTP
hasLiveRampMatch Google Tag Manager Pending Session HTTP
Active
Accept All CookiesSave SettingsDecline Cookies
By continuing to browse or by clicking "Accept All Cookies" you agree to the storing of first and third-party cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookie Policy
Cookie Settings
Accept All Cookies
By continuing to browse or by clicking "Accept All Cookies" you agree to the storing of first and third-party cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookie Policy
Cookie Settings
Accept All Cookies