Direction: Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. A word is given in bold to help you locate it while answering on of them.
I don’t think it’s too soon to say that the COVID-19 global pandemic will likely be one of the defining events of 2020, and that it will have implications that last well into the decade. The situation is rapidly changing. The amount of people deemed safe to gather in a single place has dwindled from thousands, to hundreds, to ten. Restaurants, bars, movie theaters, and gyms in many major cities are shutting down. Meanwhile many office workers are facing new challenges of working remotely full time.
Essentially, people are coming to terms with the realities of our interconnected world and how difficult it is to temporarily separate those connections to others. To say that we are living in unprecedented times feels like an understatement. We received responses from many on how people are approaching this period of isolation and uncertainty in huge overnight changes to their shopping behaviors. From bulk-buying to online shopping, people are changing what they’re buying, when, and how.
As more cities are going under lockdowns, nonessential businesses are being ordered to close, and customers are generally avoiding public places. Limiting shopping for all but necessary essentials is becoming a new normal. Brands are having to adapt and be flexible to meet changing needs. As people have embraced social distancing as a way to slow the spread of the pandemic, there has naturally been a drop-off in brick-and-mortar shopping. That would seem to mean there would likely be an increase in online shopping as people turn to ecommerce to purchase the items they might have otherwise purchased in person.
No doubt, online retail has played a huge role in keeping the U.S. economy from suffering even greater damage during the pandemic. Stay-at-home orders and consumer ________________________________________________.
Online retail still doesn’t completely satisfy most consumers, though. A study reported 90% of surveyed shoppers stated high shipping fees and home delivery lasting more than two days would deter an online purchase.
Amazon (the nation’s second largest retailer behind only Walmart) cracked the code with its Prime service, offering free shipping and two-day (or faster) turnaround. Not surprisingly, Amazon saw tremendous sales growth in 2020. Other national retailers, including Walmart and Target, have poured resources into strengthening their online shipping services.
For example, customers shop for items online, then pick up their merchandise either in the store or, even more conveniently, curbside in their cars.
However, the market shift in retail is posing tremendous challenges to small retailers: challenges that COVID-19 exacerbated. Surely, engaging in e-commerce is more than simply setting up a website and waiting for orders.