How Covid-19 has accelerated e-commerce trends Franklin Templeton's Matt Moberg writes about how the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the trend towards e-commerce. We are witnessing a sizeable and lasting shift to e-commerce across the economy - a shift that has been underway for decades, entirely catalysed by a single, revolutionary technological advancement - the emergence of the internet. The internet made it possible for businesses and individuals to buy and sell items and services online, and in a very short period, consumers had the convenience of almost unlimited selection available to them from the comfort of their homes, 24/7, with just a few clicks of a button. As it stands today, global e-commerce is an area of tremendous opportunity, as the disruption we see is only just beginning.