Shoppers may be back at the mall, but e-commerce providers are betting consumers will keep a firm grip on their digital shopping carts as pandemic restrictions ease.
Logistics operators whose businesses boomed during the Covid-19 online-ordering surge say they are maintaining their investments and upbeat outlooks. They expect the rush to online commerce that came at the start of the pandemic has altered buying habits long-term.
“There may be some adjustment, but overall … that leap we took from the pandemic is here to stay,” said Kraig Foreman, president of e-commerce for DHL Supply Chain North America, a unit of Deutsche Post AG.
The push to online shopping has fueled strong growth at retailers like e-commerce behemoth Amazon.com Inc. as well as bricks-and-mortar store owners like Walmart Inc. and Target Corp. that have extensive digital capabilities.