Over the past year, many have tried to pit ecommerce against physical stores. And with the regrettable loss of some big brands from our high streets it’s an easy assumption to make. 

But for every big brand lost, we’ve seen thousands of retailers take on the challenge Covid has brought with it and turn their operating models upside down, finding new opportunities and revenue in the process. 

From expanding their online offering to disrupting their supply chains or testing new channels to reach consumers, the real retail story of the last year is one of adaptation, innovation and survival. 

More shoppers have embraced online avenues over the past year and have realised the ease and speed that browsing and purchasing from home can give. We can see it in the way people have used the eBay marketplace. 

“Searches on eBay for ‘eco furniture’ and ‘sustainable furniture’ saw a huge rise in 2020 compared with 2019, up 123% and 171% respectively”

It is evident from an influx of ‘first-time’ online shoppers to a boom in sales across the DIY and home category, prompted by the closure of non-essential shops.

Searches on eBay for ‘eco furniture’ and ‘sustainable furniture’ saw a huge rise in 2020 compared with 2019, up 123% and 171% respectively.

Businesses have responded to these trends in inventive ways that should give everyone hope about the future of the retail industry. 

Take ClearCycle as an example, a small retailer on eBay that works with popular high street furniture brands to refurbish and resell returned or last-season stock to cost-conscious and environmentally minded consumers.

With furniture and outlet stores closed, it’s a market that has flourished in the past year. 

But this isn’t a new phenomenon. For decades, retailers have been forced to adapt to changing consumer needs and wants.  

The only difference is that in 2020 this shift to online was forced upon us. It wasn’t a gradual gear change, but a sharp escalation – one that I believe has led to positive foundations that will support retailers in the long term. 

If we have learnt anything from the last year, it is that online and offline are equally important parts of the retail puzzle. It isn’t a binary game of winner takes all. 

For example, more than 60% of our sellers in the UK have a physical and online shop, and we expect more retailers to adopt this multichannel model in the future.   

What’s important for consumers right now is supporting local communities, having confidence in the businesses they choose to shop with and finding great value at a time of financial anxiety.

That applies to the local corner shop as much as it does a big high street department store or an online-only retailer. 

“One way many retailers have adapted in the face of Covid is by adopting the marketplace model, supercharging their online presence with the added safety net of tried-and-tested tech”

The retailers that are succeeding despite the pandemic are those that see this and have adapted. They are combining community affection and loyalty with the reach and firepower that ecommerce and the marketplace model can bring.

That’s why we launched our eBay for Change initiative, to offer training and financial aid to small, community-based businesses that support disadvantaged areas across Britain.

One way many retailers have adapted in the face of Covid is by adopting the marketplace model, supercharging their online presence with the added safety net of tried-and-tested tech. 

Last year, in the face of closed stores, Jack Wills, LK Bennett, Wallis, The Entertainer and even the world’s most famous toy shop Hamleys launched with us in a matter of weeks.

These online shop windows were soon up and running, reaching the nearly 30 million buyers who visit eBay UK each month. 

We’ve seen more retailers looking to marketplaces for two reasons: in the short term to shift excess stock and, secondly, to try to reach more customers through the already established power and scale of online marketplaces. 

Almost a year on from the first lockdown, the UK retail industry has experienced radical change but, I would argue, that change was already on the horizon. 

All retailers have the opportunity to not just survive, but thrive post-Covid. And online retail is critical to making that happen.