I can't say what the impact would have been.
However, it's important to acknowledge that the major trends in online shopping and retail were already under way. Did they pick up speed during the pandemic? Would some consumers have behaved differently? Would they have shopped at local businesses instead of through the major platforms? Perhaps.
However, it's important to note that the pandemic has made buying local more popular. People connected with their local businesses. They wanted to know about local businesses, so they searched online to find them. Also, the fact that people were working from home had a positive impact on businesses on nearby streets or on the main street in their neighbourhood. This helped the retailers and the small, local businesses. I like to say that we'll go back to the days when the retailers knew our first name. In our opinion, this is a great trend and great news. It's probably one of the silver linings of the pandemic.