Russian retail during the COVID-19 pandemic: accelerating digitalization
The COVID-19 pandemic has made significant changes in people's lives, as well as affected the situation in local and global markets. Production facilities around the world have been reduced. This was due to the closed borders between the countries and restrictive measures. The usual consumer - producer relationship has been disrupted. Major adjustments have been made to the business of trading companies. Statistical and analytical data on the digitalization of Russian retail are analyzed. The conducted research has shown that there has been a transformation of retail trade due to the growth of the online component during the pandemic, as well as consumer behaviour and their preferences. In particular, this reflected not only a decrease in the average check, but also an increase in demand for online services. It was found out that the pandemic provoked the rapid transition of retail to digital rails and revealed weaknesses in the ongoing digitalization. This made it possible to determine the main directions for further improvement of national digital systems. The article will be of interest to specialists in national retail development, as well as to all those who are interested in modern Russian commerce.