The online spending of global shoppers is expected to increase by 20 per cent in 2021 says a new Adobe report. This will further add pressure to supply chains as they struggle to keep up with a surge in demand. Adobe expects global e-commerce sales to reach $4.2 trillion this year driven by demand in the United States, China and Britain. Online sales of items from toys and video games to furniture totaled $876 billion in the first quarter of this year.
Shortage of vaccines and new COVID-19 waves have compelled retailers to keep their physical stores shut and invest more in online platforms. Around 65 per cent of Nike’s stores in Europe, the Middle East and Africa opened last month while its digital sales surged to 60 per cent in the most recent quarter. In America, online sales surged 39 per cent to about $200 billion in the first quarter, with growth spiking in the three weeks following President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. However, growth wasn't as impressive in other countries like Japan which saw only modest ecommerce sales.
