In the first stage of the pandemic, it was thought that consumption would be limited to the basics, since staying at home would mean savings, but the levels of purchase increased as needs increased: stationery and craft items, gadgets, furniture, etc. Online shopping became popular and spread to other sectors of the population that, because of their social status or age, saw themselves as out of the target.

The shopping experience in the physical stores has not been replaced by the e-commerce. Buying is not only an exchange of money for products, but to stroll around, to choose and to appraise.

E-commerce in general has not been able to replace the shopping experience for two reasons that must be addressed: first, the user experience of the apps and websites despite the attempts of virtual fitting rooms and the design of the sites is not rewarding enough and second, bad shipping experiences in terms of packaging, waiting times and refund processes.

Sites such as Shein have found their way into the most downloaded apps because the low price of their products means that inconveniences such as waiting for the package or the quality of the products are replaced by the feeling of saving and buying a lot cheaply compensates for the loss of the shopping experience.

The challenge lies in a successful shift in the paradigm: from the supply chain to a supply network and the total adoption of virtual reality.