Covid-19 is having the effect of a shock on the universe of widespread non-food consumption: the forced closure due to the lockdown combined with the fear of contagion expressed by the Italians, with the loss in the purchasing power of families and with the concerns for the future, are having serious repercussions on the whole sector, as emerges from the analysis of the Non Food 2020 Observatory.
A very critical situation emerges from this study which will have a heavy impact on non-food consumption and on the commercial network: 2020 will be a year with sharply decreasing sales in all 13 product sectors analyzed (with the sole exclusion of self-medication products), and which will mainly affect stationery products, clothing and footwear, DIY and edutainment.
These data are the result of some basic trends:
- The failure to restart consumption during phase 2: between May and June the recovery of demand was only partial and limited to some sectors.
- Negative forecasts for the coming months: if during the lockdown 75% of consumers had made at least one non-food purchase, three weeks after phase 2 only 60% of respondents had returned to a non-food physical store.
- The fear of contagion will continue to have an important influence both on the frequency of store visits and on the choices of the stores to shop in, and could also lead to new structural visit and purchase behaviors. Shopping centers appear to be at risk: 68% of regular visitors expect to go less, mainly due to the fear of having to make too many
queue because of the security protocols.
The great unknown of this scenario is the economic recovery, which will decisively influence the trend of non-food purchases. 45% of the interviewees say they are quite worried about the future and, therefore, willing to buy only the necessary non-food goods, postponing or avoiding purchases deemed unnecessary. At the expense will be mainly items of furniture and large appliances.
