CONSUMER PURCHASING SHIFTED BY COVID.

• Position: YOUR LIFE

Forty-five percent of consumers shifted from shopping at local businesses to purchasing goods from national online retailers when they were most concerned about COVID-19, and a majority of those consumers have yet to shift back to shopping with Main Street merchants, according to a consumer confidence poll conducted by Alignable, a small business networking site.

This trend could get even worse for small retailers, as 68% of the shoppers polled have no plans to spend more money with local merchants for the rest of the year, which could be catastrophic for Main Street's 2020 holiday season. Moreover, another 16% actually plan to increase their spending with national online retailers instead of shopping locally.

"Even in a good economy, many retailers count on Q4 sales to make up for the rest of the year," says Alignable CEO and cofounder Eric Groves, "but COVID safety concerns still loom large for many consumers, which, sadly, could turn 2020's holiday shopping season into the worst one in years for local retailers."

While a number of consumers report they are not as worried about COVID now as they were earlier this year, 46% say their fears have not abated. Here are some of their issues regarding in-person Main Street...