Post covid-19 Impact on consumer behaviour

What changes You have noticed  in your shopping behavior after lock-down phase completed or lifted up?

I have noticed some of my behavior after lock-down or you can say New Normal or Post Covid-19 side effect on consumer behaviour.

Post Covid-19 effect on consumer buying behaviour process/New Normal Marketing tactics

 

After reported first coronavirus case in State of Washington January 20, 2020, and seeing first case death in Seattle Hospital, quarter there had been more than 10,000 case reported in Seattle hospital itself. The life of normal human being has been changed so far. It has started with buying basic shopping in grocery stores to entertainment and shopping.

The question is here that what New Normal is for consumer who was regularly visited shopping malls, cinema halls, musical parks, resorts and other public events.

Will consumer behave the normal way as they were doing previously?

 The effect of Covid-19 will remain forever or it will vanish with the time…???

Let me brief my experience of shopping in a store in North Carolina (USA) after the store just opened from the lockdown. We went for Guitar shopping and in the process, I visited two stores in-person and before that I visited many websites to understand the basic features and other essential accessories for the guitar for beginner. We were about to book online seeing online deal of the product but we hold our decision for a day. After brainstorming, we decided to visit some stores at least to have a look of guitar and just to have feel of it while holding guitar in hands. Please note here that I mentioned here to have feel of Guitar. That’s very important for consumer in buying at least in some product/s to have feel while consuming it or using it.

Since we are first time guitar buyer, it is very important for us to have a feel before buying it. In case of guitar, I understand during the buying process of guitar that guitars are available in different sizes, shapes and strings. The material is also very important and keep in mind while buying as a beginner buyer of guitar.

So again come to the point of buying product after New Normal…. Is not a Normal anymore, isn’t it?

When we entered into a store of Guitar, we were told to sanitize our hands and not to touch anything unless you finalize your buying decision. Of course, they allow to touch on your two or three options but not randomly touching all that you want to see like previously you did in a store normally. Now that is not at all Normal. Because storekeeper has to sanitize all the products what customers have touched to see? Uff! Isn’t it big task? More important he cannot cater or allow all the customers depends on the size of the store to enter at a time. Storeowners has to have a dedicated person to supervise this in a store.

So now there is one more role added in the storeowner duty i.e. apart from cleaning or better to say sanitize all the products before opening the store, during store hours and while closing the store, make sure all the staffs wear masks and hand glows and keep customers in line in tact in store so they can follow “six feet distancing” among all other next customers.

This is just one small example for buying guitar in a store. There are number of products irrespective of its nature of origin.

Tipping point:

The challenge is that how the business offers products to the consumers in New Normal.

Will consumers back for shopping as usual or they restrict themselves not to be in public immediate contact of any such products?

What experience can business house offer to consumers in New Normal?

What about the products that we try buy wearing and having ‘touch feel’ of it before buying?