People are buying more and more online. This trend intensified again during the pandemic. In order to meet the needs of consumers and at the same time to support local trade, the Letzshop.lu platform was launched. It thus also contributes to the diversification and digitization of the Luxembourg retail trade.
The numbers speak for themselves. There are now over 500 local stores on the homepage, selling around 370,000 items. Between June 2020 and October 2020 over 450,000 people visited the online shop while there were over 3 million page views. In 2020 gift vouchers worth € 350,000 were sold on Letzshop.lu.
The Minister for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Lex Delles is convinced: “The online sales platform Letzshop helps businesses face the digital challenge and at the same time support retailers.” In order to encourage businesses to join the platform in these difficult times, the Minister has also decided that the current contribution of 500 € for 2020 and 2021 is canceled.
In addition, another site called corona.letzshop.lu was used at short notice during the first lockdown. This site offered a delivery service for people at risk who could not or did not want to go to the supermarket.
Letzshop is an important complementary solution to traditional retail, especially for operators who had to close their doors during the crisis. Despite the complete slump in sales in traditional retail, so many operators were able to earn a small basic income from online trading. Even if one would have wished for other circumstances, over 130 companies have taken the path to digitization due to the crisis. The Covid-19 crisis has shown that it is important for companies to offer their goods via multiple channels. The Letzshop platform therefore makes a substantial contribution to ensuring that retailers can find a healthy mix of traditional sales and online presence.
For Lex Delles and the DP, local businesses are a fundamental element of our economic and social structure and thus contribute significantly to the image of our town and village centers. Preserving them is of the utmost importance.
