Impact of COVID-19 on Consumer Shopping Behavior

BURLINGTON, Mass. - April 20, 2020 - PRLog -- Fear of a virus outbreak tends to alter consumer behavior and demand patterns. With COVID-19 concerns continuing to rise, consumers are being more vigilant about shopping in brick-and-mortar stores. Consequently, they are increasing their use of online shopping as a way to fulfill their needs.

Coronavirus has the potential to create more permanent behavioral changes in the way consumers shop.


Social Distancing & Shopping Online

Considering the worry surrounding coronavirus, it's easy to understand why consumers are maintaining social distancing and staying at home to avoid public areas. While there has been a change in the average consumer's day-to-day activity, their household requirements are still the same. After having to go online for their purchases, it's likely consumers will continue to embrace the online shopping experience long after the pandemic has ended.

Why wouldn't consumers pick this option over traditional in-store shopping?

It's timesaving, convenient and hassle-free when compared to physically going to the store, hunting down the items and checking out the old-fashioned way. After using the app just once, consumers will notice this difference and want to use it more in the future, causing a permanent shift in consumer behavior.

Immediate Impacts of Selling Online During the COVID-19 Outbreak

According to Google Trends, online shopping has experienced a sudden surge for the past 90 days due to consumers' inability to go outside and shop.

As we can see in the chart above, the global online shopping habit of consumers was relatively normal through the end of February. At the beginning of March, as the number of coronavirus cases began to rise, we can see online shopping patterns increase at almost the same rate of coronavirus cases. By the middle of March, as strict laws and regulations started to be placed by governments around the world asking people to avoid crowds and public areas, the rapid rise of online shopping became more evident.

The panic buying phenomenon caused by coronavirus fears has led consumers to stockpile resources in an unprecedented manner — creating a temporary scarcity in the market. This particular scenario has led consumers to shift more towards online shopping to meet their needs as store shelves remain empty. This spike in online demand for products could be a great opportunity for online retailers — not just in this period of crisis but also in the long run.
To study more about the impact of COVID-19 on consumer behaviour check out " https://growbydata.com/impact-of-covid19-on-consumer-shopping-behavior/" from GrowByData.