Omicron will bring a new spring to European e-commerce

Small businesses in Europe will once again conduct sales through online platforms during the holiday shopping season at the end of this year , thanks in part to new controls caused by the new coronavirus variant .

According to a recent Statista survey , one-third of European consumers plan to do more of their holiday shopping online this year . Less than one-fifth of respondents said they will shop in physical stores.

In fact, the intermittent epidemic has not affected consumers' overall spending . According to data reported by the UK National Statistics Office , sales increased by 0.8% in October after no growth was reported in September .

According to Statista 's estimates , UK consumers will spend £84.7 billion during this year's holiday shopping season . Germany ranks second with a forecast of £74.7 billion, followed by France, which is expected to spend £62.8 billion.

Earlier, McKinsey & Company's survey showed that participation in outdoor activities in France , Germany, Italy , Spain and the United Kingdom has soared from 11% in February to 51% in October. However, due to the impact of the Delta variant at the time , 74% of respondents remained cautious.

At the time of the McKinsey survey, 48 % of respondents said they planned to return to offline physical stores for shopping. However, when Statista surveyed them in November , 69% of respondents said they chose to buy gifts online.

Omicron has become the dominant virus variant in many European countries , which have re-introduced lockdowns and restrictions on people's activities, not just the retail sector .

The German government announced that from December 28 , private gatherings will be restricted to 10 people or less . Nightclubs will also be closed and football matches will be held behind closed doors . In addition , bars and nightclubs in Portugal will also be closed after December 26, working from home will be mandatory until January 9, and outdoor gatherings will be limited to 10 people or less.

In this regard, German Chancellor Olaf   Scholz said that the coronavirus will not take a break at Christmas , but people can still do some shopping by taking appropriate protective measures . British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also said that there will be no new restrictions in England before Christmas .

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