MSE Poll: How much of your shopping is now online?

Former_MSE_Laura_B

Poll started 8 September 2020

Online shopping has been growing in popularity for years - and when the pandemic first hit, many only went out for essentials, so a lot of us relied on it much more than usual. But now stores have reopened, what proportion of your shopping is done online vs in stores?

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Did you vote? Are you surprised at the results so far? Have your say below.
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NaughtiusMaximus

Considering the question is 'How much of your shopping is NOW online?', might have been interesting to make this a 2 part question, ie comparing a person's shopping habits now with the pre COVID situation.

Ectophile

In the past I avoided buying many things on-line because I would be at work when they delivered it.  Now I'm working from home, and it's so much easier to get deliveries.

Gerry1

Bit daft to exclude groceries because that's where the massive change has recently taken place.

BobbinAlong

With  the lack of specialist stores in every area, shopping for many items has to be online e.g. sailing chandlery when you don't live on the coast or larger power tools. And often even what is in store has to be click and collect - Screwfix and Toolstation for example.

AlanRalph

Gerry1 said:

Bit daft to exclude groceries because that's where the massive change has recently taken place.

True, but including groceries would have tipped all the answers towards online-only across the board.

AlanRalph

NaughtiusMaximus said:

Considering the question is 'How much of your shopping is NOW online?', might have been interesting to make this a 2 part question, ie comparing a person's shopping habits now with the pre COVID situation.

Good point. Here, we were already doing most of our groceries shopping online, but lockdown meant that our non-groceries shopping when from 50-60% to 90%+ overnight.

jon81uk

AlanRalph said:

Gerry1 said:

Bit daft to exclude groceries because that's where the massive change has recently taken place.

True, but including groceries would have tipped all the answers towards online-only across the board.

Although I think there are many people where they have continued to shop in store. Online grocery slots were hard to find, so I think a lot of people were still going into store.
It depends a lot if you own a car of course. Those with a car are more able to do a large shop in-store.

NaughtiusMaximus

AlanRalph said:

Gerry1 said:

Bit daft to exclude groceries because that's where the massive change has recently taken place.

True, but including groceries would have tipped all the answers towards online-only across the board.

For us it would be the other way round. Virtually all of our shopping is online EXCEPT groceries which we still buy in store. We did try online a few times but became quickly fed up with inappropriate substitutions and short use by dates.

GrandmaStar

There was no option for “I do not shop online” 

The nearest was “over 80% in store” !!

MoneySeeker1

Difficult to be precise imo - with varying circumstances.

I've been getting a lot of "permanent" type purchases for the last couple of years (anticipating something like Lockdown would be imposed on us - yep...there's times being pretty cynical comes in handy LOL) and that's meant skewed towards higher value of goods bought online (with living in a remote area). Those purchases are now finished and done and it will only be pretty much "maintenance" type purchases from here on in - so it will skew back the other way.

So I currently am/intend to continue buying most of my shopping in person - but it depends on what the Government does re Lockdown. I've continued going out to do my "in person" shopping exactly as normal throughout and intend to continue that way - and there isn't a problem with that basically (as I'm in Wales). But if "They" start mandating for masks in Wales - I will still continue shopping without a mask and wait to see whether I get any harassment for it or no by other shoppers. I'm not anticipating there'd be very much harassment at all - and I'm a "strong" person - but it's an unknown situation as to whether shops here might get awkward and how much harassment there might be (given I'm a little woman and not a hefty great man - and evidence from England is people don't tend to pick on men, but they do on women to date). Should think I'll be okay - but aware it's a possibility that I might feel it's easier to take absolutely every bit of shopping online if shops here start getting awkward at any point and try and force masks on unwilling shoppers.

It's basically "watch this space" as far as I'm concerned.