Italy, along with Southern Europe in general, had rejected online shopping in favor or in-person markets for quite a long time. This had changed greatly due to Covid-19 lockdowns, and Amazon is one of the companies reaping the rewards from it.
From the New York Times:
Ludovica Tomaciello had never shopped on Amazon before being trapped at her parents’ house in March during Italy’s coronavirus lockdown. Bored one afternoon scrolling TikTok, she spotted hair scrunchies that she then tracked down and ordered on Amazon.
When the package arrived, she was hooked. She soon signed up for Amazon Prime and turned to the site to buy a tapestry and neon lights to decorate her bedroom; halter tops, jeans and magenta Air Jordan sneakers; and a remote to wirelessly take selfies for Instagram.
Related Tweets: Some of the most hated companies in the world are also the ones which are secretly loved. Imagine how difficult the pandemic would have been without the likes of Amazon, Apple, Facebook or Google. $AMZN https://t.co/l5tDayYJ8y
— Arihant Panagariya (@arihantp) September 26, 2020
Netcomm, an Italian retail consortium, called it a “10-year evolutionary leap,” with more than two million Italians trying e-commerce for the first time between January and May. https://t.co/OzcnaGXAfW
— Chris Sheridan (@sheridanct) September 26, 2020