“Black Friday traffic levels every day.”
That’s what Shopify Chief Technology Officer Jean-Michel Lemieux said his company sees now.
What makes that so crazy is, coming from an online retail platform, it’s actually not too surprising.
Countries around the world — including most of the U.S. — have imposed lockdowns to curb the spread of the coronavirus. And so we have adapted to carry on with life remotely.
The good news is that lockdowns appear successful so far. The spread of the virus has slowed. And the massive shift online is moving faster than ever…
That means even bigger and faster gains for companies at the forefront of this revolution … and a simple way for you to profit from it now.
Buy This Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) to Play the New Normal
Consider that, of the total $5.5 trillion value of all U.S. retail sales last year, only $600 billion took place online.
That’s an 11% market share for online commerce. But look at how steadily that figure has grown every year:
And, as I mentioned, the sudden impact of pandemic-related quarantines is leading to a surge in online sales. Based on the jump in online spending recently, e-commerce per AP spending would now make up 16% of all sales compared to 11% at the end of 2019!
While iconic, but already fragile, chains like JC Penney Company Inc. (NYSE: JCP) and Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) struggle with the blow dealt by quarantines, Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) is hiring 175,000 people just to keep up with demand.
Sure, some of the surge in online sales will move back to physical stores once quarantines end and the economy has fully reopened. But there is sure to be a lasting impact on consumer behavior.
You can profit from the accelerating shift to online retail with the ProShares Online Retail ETF (NYSE:ONLN). It holds stocks in leading online retailers from around the world, including Amazon and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (NYSE: BABA).
As you navigate this brave new world, always remember that from crisis comes opportunity. Of course, it doesn’t end with e-commerce, and Ted shared a great opportunity for you to make gains in his Bauman Daily article yesterday.
Be sure to continue to check in as Ted and I tell you which sectors will be the big winners, not just during the pandemic, but after it.
Best regards,
Research Analyst, The Bauman Letter