In the United States, the response to the coronavirus has varied from state to state. Over the last 6 months, most stores and shops have opened up for businesses but subjected to change based on the situation, as explained in this report. At the same time, the pandemic has also had an impact on how people shop.
To shed further light on any likely shift in consumer shopping habits, Borderless Access recently conducted an online study across several countries across the world, including in the United States. Here are highlights from the study.
Are online stores preferred over physical stores?
As with people across the globe, the majority of our audience in the US said that they have been shopping in online stores more than before. 60% of the global respondents and 54% of the US respondents said they prefer online over physical stores now.
Naturally, crowded stores and those that are not following safety measures are being avoided by most people in the US, as with people elsewhere. However, stores located inside malls are the ones that have taken the major hit. 76% of US respondents said they no longer shop in malls. 62% of the respondents also said that they are avoiding non-essential stores such as the ones selling gifts and luxury goods.
Are people shopping less frequently?
Around the world, most people have reduced their frequency of shop visits. In the US too, 63% of the respondents said they no longer visit physical stores as much as earlier. 20% of the audience also said they purchase groceries in bulk to avoid frequent visits.
On the other hand, 44% of the US respondents said they shop online more than before, which is similar to the global average.
Among respondents avoiding physical stores, 27% said they would never consider shopping in physical stores in the present scenario even if proper safety measures were implemented.
Meanwhile, 73% of those unwilling to shop online said they would change their mind if certain changes were made or measures were implemented. Of these factors, easy exchange policy, easy and intuitive purchase experience, safe packaging and delivery practices and specifying exact delivery time are the top of people’s minds.
Changes in shopping habits
Since the pandemic, most people in the US (51%) are restricting their shopping to essentials as much as possible. Interestingly, only 25% of the US respondents said they have shifted to purchasing heathier food as compared to 44% of the global audience. In fact, 24% of US respondents said their junk food purchase has increased since the pandemic.
All over the world, the pandemic has had an impact on people’s day-to-day behaviour, shopping included. While some of these changes can be expected to revert to the pre-pandemic state, other changes could end up being the new normal. For instance, the increased preference for online shopping.
You can learn more about how changes in consumer behaviour driven by COVID-19 have an impact on brands in our report.
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