Online shopping demand due to COVID-19 forces major chains to make operational changes

The demand for online shopping is so great some major chains have closed stores and transformed them into online fulfilment hubs – here are the most in demand items.

A surge in demand for online goods due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led Kmart to transform one of its southeast Queensland shops into an online fulfilment store.

The Kmart shop at Caboolture closed to the public on Sunday.

The nearby stores at Morayfield and Burpengary are still operating as usual.

A Big W spokeswoman said its number of online orders had doubled in the past few weeks.

Some Woolworths stores, including the one at Deception Bay, are operating on reduced hours in order to meet online demands.

$1 for 28 days: Full digital subscription

“Due to the surge in demand for our online services and in supporting our customers during a time they need it the most, we made the decision to temporarily close Kmart Caboolture and convert into fulfilling online orders only,” A Kmart spokeswoman said.

The spokeswoman did not elaborate on why the Caboolture store was chosen.

Stores at Top Ryde (New South Wales) and Brandon Park (Victoria) have also become online fulfilment centres.

The spokeswoman said the most sought after items were essential homewares such as appliances.

Kmart Caboolture is now operating as an online fulfilment centre.

Other items proving popular include: kitchen, dining and bathroom items, as well as childrens’ play based products such as board games, toys and outdoor equipment.

Team members at these stores all kept their jobs, though some of their roles have now changed with the stores now effectively operating like a warehouse.

The Kmart spokeswoman said team members now had roles in administration, deliveries, picking items for customer orders, packaging order up, preparing them for delivery and restocking shelves.

“While the store will fulfil orders from the immediate region, it will also support fulfilment of orders around Queensland,” the spokeswoman said.

A Big W spokeswoman said it was also experiencing a high demand for online shopping.

“Online orders have doubled in recent weeks across these categories and they continue to grow nationally,” she said.

MORE MORETON NEWS

Redcliffe restaurant owner to open a new cafe despite COVID-19

Moreton region’s first indigenous fever clinic opens

Every Moreton festival cancelled until October

“To ensure we keep up with customer demand, we’ve scaled up our online fulfilment operations across the network.”

She said cleaning and essential households products were still among the most popular items purchased.

“We’ve seen an increase in demand across key categories including games, puzzles and toys, and craft for kids, as well as fitness items and work from home equipment like headsets and copy paper,” she said

“We can also see gardening and hardware items on the increase as families make the most of having time to finish jobs and they are even enjoying some self-pampering.”

Big W have also implemented changes in store to ensure the safety of staff and customers.

“We’ve introduced contactless pick up and contactless home delivery, in line with the social distancing advice of the Government,” she said.