Three Ways the Pandemic Has Changed Consumer Behaviour

When COVID-19 struck in March 2020, business owners had to quickly change gears in regards to how they run their business. Many employees started working from home full-time, new technology was implemented to assist employees working from home, hiring processes shifted to online – businesses will truly never be the same as a result of all these twists and turns.

But this also means that the pandemic has changed the way consumers interact with businesses – with changes to their spending and consuming habits.

Below we outline three ways we think the pandemic has changed consumer behaviour.

1. Online Shopping

Ontario experienced three lockdowns throughout the last year and half, which of course meant that many people spent most of their times indoors, naturally increasing things like online shopping. And with many sanitization measures and restrictions in place, people even opted out of physically going into a grocery store and instead got their groceries delivered. Businesses too started to offer many of their products and services online for their clients. We think that this trend will definitely continue even after COVID-19, especially since shopping and getting access to services online is a lot more efficient and saves a lot of time.

2. More conscious shopping.

We think the pandemic has also made consumers a lot more aware of where they are getting their products and are opting to shop more locally than ever before. Especially since many local businesses had to shut down its operations during the pandemic, we saw a lot of consumers supporting these businesses virtually whether it’d be ordering online or giving a shoutout on social media using the hashtag #ShopLocal. It’s a trend that we think definitely will continue post-COVID-19, with many people now realizing the importance of supporting those locally around them.

3. What consumers are purchasing.

With the lockdown, many people couldn’t go to places like restaurants and the gym like they normally did pre-pandemic, so instead we saw many people cooking more at home and investing in creating their own gym. With people staying at home most of the time – working from home, learning from home, etc. – mental health became a large part of the discussion as well. We think that this is something that will definitely continue post-COVID-19. Much more people became aware of their mental health and wellness while at home, learning that taking care of your mind and body is an important part of their lives. This means there could be a continued interest in buying more healthy local foods and products, getting outdoors to exercise, and purchasing health and wellness apps to keep people on track.

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