This is endingfatal year, perhaps there is no better way to describe it. On the street today there is a different air, much quieter than the one that accompanies the turning point every year. But the smell of cooking arrives anyway. Thank god. Many lights in the street have already turned on and gaps, ladies, take home the shopping bags full of goodies. They look satisfied, who knows what recipes they blend in their heads and who knows with how much love they will prepare their dishes for this occasion too.
Come to the end of this 2020, have you wondered how, especially this year, the habits of us Italians have changed? How our mind has changed perspective … how many questions we have not been answered. We made do, we changed on our own, embracing and experimenting with new habits, which we may not have even thought of before. A real style "residential" what we have adopted, substantially revolutionizing food shopping and spending.
In the era pre covid, from which it seems a century has passed, I remember the frenzy of the streets of Milan, people running from one side to the other, anxious to enter the office late. Tourists competing to buy the last dress in the store, lazy students crowded into the bar below school, ignoring the bell that rang madly. And here in a moment we found ourselves in the chaos of smart working, word for many, before then, unknown. Above the suit an apron, a take off and put between a call and a sauce for lunch to prepare. The small child to feed, the older one to supervise while experimenting with online lessons. At the end of the story, we have become multitasking.
March 2020: "Run to the supermarket for yeast and flour", this was the title of a newspaper of those days. How many baked pizzas, how many new desserts tasted in the suspended time of that first lockdown. How much chaos has been created for fear of being left with an empty fridge. We Italians have been champions in this: i consumption trend they showed us that classic family recipes were preferred, rediscovering not only the pleasant time together, often faded by the hectic everyday life, but also good food, healthy food, prepared with care and with good ingredients.
Dear holy technology, we would say in chorus. Yes, you really supported us in this time of emergency. Grandma's entry on zoom or whatsapp chat is something we will remember. Yes, because to feel closer we had no choice but to embrace digitally. There digital kitchen, with the so-called basket of "Cooks at home", exploded wildly: "I don't see how much sugar you put in, the connection is off", many said. The candles blown in front of the phone with the applause of our friends in the background. Graduations celebrated in the living rooms of the house with jackets and pajama pants. The hard workouts with personal trainers live on instagram. The glass of wine accompanied by the taralli tasted on the terrace. Online shopping, shopping on Amazon. Memories collected, habits still very current.
But you know that thanks to all this, the Italian mass market has acquired a growth three times higher than in 2019? The highest growth trend of the last decade. In short, something positive had to come (Source: Nielsen Trade * Mis). With the closures of bars and restaurants, the shops have been able to reinvent themselves and have proved to be more suited to the new purchasing needs, with a good location and good assortment, registering a growth of 8.1%.
But think about the boom in e-commerce? This has seen an exponential growth equal to + 117% compared to last year with a contribution to growth of + 13% in food categories he was born in + 21% for personal and home care. Try your hand at the kitchen for lunch and dinner, too tiring for some, here are the services of home delivery just a click away they have gone wild. Yes, it must be said that this pandemic has brought with it many new needs and priorities, reflected in the products purchased by all of us.
It ends this year: it's a party, dream. Another one begins: we hope it will give us a new, brighter future. For now, turn on the lights and turn off your thoughts.
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