The shift from brick-and-mortar to digital shopping had been under way for some time when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Since 2017, ecommerce revenues have risen from an estimated $1.4 trillion to $2.4 trillion, or about 2.7% of global output.

As a vital industrial link between a turbulent oil and gas market and changing consumer needs, the chemical industry has been tested by the COVID-19 pandemic.