NEW YORK—From the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, consumers across the U.S. have shifted to ecommerce for essential goods and personal care products. One result of this trend is that consumer packaged goods companies (CPG) continue to invest in digital advertising, but at a reduced rate, according to a recent analysis of the CPG sector by eMarketer.

The firm now said it expects the CPG industry to increase its digital ad spending 5.2 percent this year to $19.4 billion. But this is a downward revision from the pre-pandemic forecast of 15.1 percent growth.

The CPG vertical spans multiple subcategories. Some subcategories like essential goods and personal care products did well amid the pandemic, while others faltered. According to a March 2020 survey conducted by OnePoll for tech firm Red Points, more than three in five U.S. internet users said they were more likely to purchase cosmetics, personal care products, and food and beverage products online during the pandemic, according to the eMarketer report.

Across the spectrum of U.S. retail sales, a decline of roughly 10.5 percent is expected this year across all retail channels, yet overall sales of health, personal care, and beauty products will rise 6.9 percent. Food and beverage sales (much of which fall under CPG) will grow 12.5 percent, according to a recent eMarketer forecast.

Food and beverage ecommerce sales will grow 58.5 percent this year to $41.5 billion. Health, personal care, and beauty product ecommerce sales will increase 32.4 percent to $72.1 billion, the research firm noted. While these categories make up a fraction of total ecommerce sales (a combined 16.7 percent), they continue to be the fastest-growing, as they have been since 2018.

“CPG advertisers responded in different ways to this pandemic-induced shift in consumer behavior,” eMarketer reported. “Procter & Gamble, the biggest overall ad spender in CPG, increased spending for digital and traditional this spring as demand for cleaning and personal care products rose. However, Unilever cut advertising at the height of the pandemic, shifting spend from ice cream (its core food category) to hygiene products. After evaluating spend on a weekly basis, the company now plans to make significant increases during H2 2020.”

eMarketer also noted that it has just released its annual forecast of CPG digital ad spending across the U.S. market, which includes estimates by channel, device and format, and the pandemic’s impact on these figures.