Comfort counts: Pajama sales take off during pandemic. Pants, not so much
The coronavirus has American consumers spending more of their cash on comfort these days, according to a recent report on online shopping.
An Adobe Analytics report released May 7 shows pajama sales soared a staggering 143% in April as Americans continued to hunker down at home during the pandemic. At the same time, pant sales tumbled 13%, data show.
“That’s one of the interesting stats that came out,” John Copeland, vice president of Adobe Marketing & Customer Insights, told Yahoo Finance. “In fact, I heard an apparel designer here in the (San Francisco) Bay Area refer to the trend as ‘mullet wear.’ People are getting really comfortable.”
E-commerce is “growing very quickly in general,” with online sales up nearly 50 percent last month, Copeland said.
Analyzing “more than a trillion data points” from retailers that use its software, Adobe Analytics reported a 110% percent surge in online grocery sales between March 12 and April 11, according to a CNN report. Electronics sales also increased last month, as did sales of wine, liquor and spirits.
The steady rise in online shopping comes as dozens of retailers slash their prices by as much as 12%, according to the report. Adobe Analytics said it’s the largest monthly price drop thus far, and is likely what’s driving the surge in apparel sales — up 34% over the last month, CNN reported.
While the prices on some products have dropped significantly, other products — including toys, computers and laptops — have seen inflation.
“For the first time in the five years that we’ve been tracking it, we’re starting to see prices in electronics go up,” Copeland told Yahoo Finance. “Whether it’s the increased demand from consumers now buying more online, or challenges with supply chain or fulfillment, we are seeing a change in those prices.”
The Adobe analysis reflects just how much “e-commerce has grown to become a critically important part of people’s lives during the pandemic,” according to CNET. With millions of Americans still working from home, families are stocking up on groceries, sleepwear, books and other items to stay comfortable in quarantine.
Not only have online grocery sales nearly doubled, but orders placed online and picked up in-store surged 208% last month, CNET reported, citing the analysis. Curbside pickup has also become increasingly popular in the age of coronavirus.
“Retailers who invested in (curbside service) early got a chance to test it and refine, and have been better able to manage the surge in demand,” Adobe spokesman Kevin Fu told the outlet. “It’s fair to say they’re capturing new customers in the process.”
Fu told CNET that online grocery and curbside services were already expected to grow prior to the pandemic and could soon become mainstream.