In light of the coronavirus pandemic, online shopping and ‘click and collect’ drive-through shopping services are sporadically taking the centre stage in the South African retail economy. This is due to an increase in the demand by underserved shoppers for Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) stores to innovate online offerings, a swift disruption from the traditional mode of shopping caused by the pandemic. 

This points to the fact that the services were once appreciated but later rejected as a result of mistrust for retailers in some markets. Presently, it is beginning to gain more positive traction among consumers and retailers in a nation like South Africa as all hands are on deck to keep COVID-19 at bay.

According to Liz Hillock, the Head of Online and Mobile for Woolworths, the company has seen an unprecedented increase in demand for its online offering during the current lockdown. “Since the start of the lockdown we’ve increased our capacity by over 50 percent but demand remains sky-high,” she added.

FMCG stores have recorded an increase in sales as demand continues to skyrocket. Pick n Pay has mentioned that its online shopping service had been in high demand shortly after the lockdown commenced. It said in a report that it has increased its delivery capacity beyond 2,000 slots per week. It also stated that the extra 2,000 delivery slots it opened during the Easter period were taken in a matter of hours. An indication of the increase in demand for online offerings in the country.

In South Africa, department stores like Woolworths and Pick n’ Pay have been forced to innovate and expand their click and collect drive-through shopping service to help consumers get vital supplies during the current lockdown. The new approach that retail stores have adopted offers shoppers the chance to drive into stores to pick up items they pre-ordered for without stepping out of their cars. Pick n’ Pay offers customers the chance to email their shopping lists to participating stores and collect their groceries later. 

Recently, the South African government asked food retailers to cut down on the number of customers they admit as the country battles with the highest number of coronavirus infections in sub-Saharan Africa. These latest shopping plans would help retail store respond simultaneously to the interests of the government and its people. Besides, its impact would be positively felt in the food production aspect of the South African economy.