HOW BEING AT HOME CHANGED US: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOR CHANGES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

Background: Worldwide COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges for societies significantly altering the lives of all people. The consequences resulted in changes in habits including those related to shopping. Information on how consumers reacted to the pandemic and restrictions imposed by governments is limited and lacks detailed implications based on the opinions of consumers. Aims: This research aims to fill this gap by exploring major changes in consumer behavior that occurred during the pandemic. Methods: A nation-wide survey was conducted in Slovakia in 2022 to collect data. The sample file consisted of 347 consumers. Findings: The findings include information on how the consumers perceived the pandemic. The frequency of visiting shops drastically decreased, however, the majority of consumers stayed loyal to familiar brands of products. Older consumers were more likely to decrease the amount of products bought during a pandemic. Slovak consumers increased the use of delivery services, however less drastically than was expected based on a major increase in home office type of work. Implications: Organizations providing products can expect further changes in consumer behavior, which they can stimulate since the influence of media increased during the pandemic.