14 May 2021

B2c eCommerce: the key to a new start

B2c eCommerce: the key to a new start

eCommerce 2020: from niche alternative to necessity. This was the message of the conference presenting the results of the research carried out by the Politecnico di Milano’s eCommerce b2c Observatory, which saw a number of leading figures from the world of online commerce share their experiences and observations on the exponential growth and evolution of the sector. The research team led by Valentina Pontiggia presented relevant data and trends to outline the eCommerce 2020 scenario, with a look to the future.

Stefano Tartaglia, CEO of Superfluid, brought his experience as a newly born company in the cosmetics sector, telling about the organisational challenges faced and the strategic nature of our logistics partnership in order to guarantee the end customer a quality customer experience. Together with Roberto Liscia and the various speakers at the event, we outlined the maturity of the online market, in which we are all now protagonists, and identified some keywords that describe the trend of the sector.

Lights and shadows for B2C eCommerce in Italy: product purchases are accelerating their growth, while service purchases are experiencing a sharp drop due to mobility and assembly restrictions. However, 2020 will be remembered – in addition to the health emergency – for the fundamental role, and undoubtedly of social importance, that eCommerce has played in our country. The overall dynamics of the Italian eCommerce market (-3%) hides profoundly different trends in its categories. On the one hand, the severe restrictions on mobility and the ban on congregation have severely affected the service sector and penalised sales, regardless of the channel (-47% online). On the other hand, the pandemic boosted online purchases of products, which therefore accelerated sharply (+31%). For the first time during the lockdown, eCommerce was the main, if not exclusive, driver of consumer spending, making the retail crisis less bitter.
These months have generated one of the most profound and radical changes in Retail in recent decades. At last, even in Italy, there are all the conditions to invest and believe in the development of the eCommerce channel.