Hard times have also begun for e-shops.

E-shops with food are running out of time to deliver, but online sellers of other goods are beginning to feel the effects of the current measures. At the beginning of the week alone, sales of some types of goods fell by up to half. Although sellers are reacting by limiting advertising investments, which for example decreased by 42 % for performance advertising, the outlook for the next few weeks is not very optimistic. With the exception of food and drugstores, online sales of goods may drop by up to 40 % on average.

At the weekend, Czechs were still buying supplies for their homes, with Monday's curfew, their desire to shop decreased significantly. "The biggest sufferers are sellers of goods for which Czechs have no use now. This is, for example, sporting goods, which fell by more than 50 percent on Monday. Similarly, the number of orders for fashion or for example toys fell." explains David Vurma, CEO of the consulting company Acomware.

Throughout March, customer behavior changes almost from day to day. While at the beginning of the month people stocked up on necessities for children or their pets, on the weekend of March 14 and 15 interest in electronics, furniture or household equipment increased slightly. "Somewhere, the increased interest is fading even now. But it will be short-lived. Czechs buy things they lack at home, typically small appliances such as coffee machines. Or a console or do-it-yourself supplies to keep them entertained," describes Vurma.

Monday's decline in purchases continued on Tuesday, March 17, according to Acomware data, slowing slightly on that day by about 5 %. The outlook for the next few weeks is not too optimistic. "With the exception of food retailers and drugstores, e-shops will see their sales drop by about 35 to 40 percent on average," says Vurma. The worst situation will be for durable goods, but there may be exceptions here as well. "With a bit of luck, booksellers, for example, will have smaller losses. People will read them more, therefore they will buy them." thinks Vurma.

In response to falling demand, e-shops are gradually reducing their investments in internet advertising. Performance ad spend fell by 42 % earlier this week, it could be up to 65 % in the coming weeks. "Not only companies that are not doing well in the current situation invest less, but also companies whose turnovers have skyrocketed thanks to the offered goods. Often their logistics or supply capacities are at their ceiling, so further support of demand can be counterproductive,” says Štepán Jandl, Senior Business Consultant at Acomware.

At the same time, he advises companies to take advantage of the situation. They should be interested in how to digitize their business more. "The Internet offers a lot of opportunities. To sell goods, to negotiate services, but also to transfer know-how, for example in the form of training and educational programs. Almost every business can find a way to use online properly." adds Jandl.

MEDIA CONTACT

Kamil Gric

kamil.gric@acomware.cz

+420 737 289 527

ABOUT ACOMWARE

Acomware is a specialized consulting company for e-commerce and digital marketing. Since 2002, he has been helping companies achieve the best possible results in his environment. It increases sales, builds new brands or improves customer care. The company's services are used by retail chains, e-shops and manufacturing companies.

The Czech e-commerce scene is a home for Acomware, which it is actively trying to develop and cultivate. He participates in the development and implementation of new tools and technologies, trains experts and enthusiasts. On the website www.acomware.cz publishes unique research and studies. He is the organizer of the Performance 2020, Emailing 2020 conferences and the Eshopista discussion cycle.