Online retail orders fall 12% as UK stores reopen

Online retail orders in the UK fell 12% in the week that non-essential retailers in England and Wales were allowed to reopen, new data shows.

Fashion , footwear , health and beauty industries saw the biggest declines in online orders

As the local lockdown caused by the pandemic has reduced a lot of physical shopping in the UK, online retail has flourished in the past year to an unprecedented level. According to the UK Office for National Statistics ( ONS), the proportion of online consumption increased to 36.1% in February 2021, a record high. In comparison, it was 35.2% in January 2021 and 20% in February 2020.

After months of closure, non-essential retailers in England and Wales have finally opened up . This has been a huge challenge for online retailers, and there has indeed been a downward trend in online order volumes.

The latest data from e-commerce specialist Salesfire shows that the fashion , footwear , health and beauty industries have seen the biggest declines. Online healthcare and beauty revenues fell by 18.8%, while fashion and footwear orders fell by 12.2% and 9% respectively. The data compares data from Tuesday, April 6 and Tuesday, April 13.

Shoppers crave the in-store experience

“After a long period of closure, people are clearly excited to get back into stores, as evidenced by the long queues we’ve seen outside stores in towns and cities across the country this week , ” Salesfire CEO Rich Himsworth said in a release.

He added: “Online orders for fashion and footwear are expected to fall as people return to stores to see and try on clothes in person, and retailers have been working hard to create campaigns to get people excited to get back on the high street. ”

But experts believe some of the changes in shopping over the past year may be permanent. The convenience of online shopping is here to stay and may outpace the physical shopping experience for many people, especially for everyday items that don’t require in-person viewing, such as electronics .

Himsworth said that for consumers who want to avoid crowds and shop more conveniently, options such as same-day or next-day delivery remain attractive. The current trend , perhaps reflecting people's excitement after the lockdown is lifted, may continue to shift to e-commerce in the future .

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