The Covid-19 pandemic has shaken the retail industry with store closures, changing consumer behaviour, new ways of working and a need for agility and swift action. As the digital industry worked from kitchen tables across the country, consumers turned to online channels for their every need. From daily exercise classes and quizzes to recipes and shopping, online has been a saviour giving people something to fill their time while not working.

For some retailers, the rush of online orders has been like Christmas, multiplied, but without the months of planning that normally happen ahead of the peak season. It has not been without challenges. Sites have had to cope with huge spikes in traffic, supply chains trying to keep up with demand of the must-have items and warehouses working under the 2m distance rule.

In this white paper, produced by Internet Retailing in association with our Partner Adobe, we explore the impact of the pandemic on retail as a whole as well as investigating how different verticals and individual retailers have managed the change. How has the rush to online changed interactions with the customer, impacted on product, supply chain and operations and how are retailers using digital and omnichannel services to optimise their stores?