Many people’s buying decisions are based on impulses and emotions. This is so because the human mind tends to make short, practical choices rather than effective and more advantageous ones. However, in times of anxiety and stress, behaviors can become polarized. There will be consumers who decide on more instantaneous motivations and those who will go deeper into the rationality of their purchases.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put the entire planet on the ropes. Over the past 18 months, the evolution of the pandemic has disrupted all orders of our lives. This pressure has affected people’s decision-making capacity. In some previous posts on our blog, we have pointed out that the change in family income has led to a change in brand preferences. Today we want to talk about biases in the context of the health crisis.
In the first instance, we could point out that the biases observed at this time are new. However, this is not the case. Faced with the general feeling of loss of time and boredom due to the constant control of daily activities, more and more shopping behaviors are observed aimed at satisfying individual desires and which mean a reconquest of public spaces.
Despite the recommendations of health experts and the appearance of new strains of the SarsCov2 virus that threaten to overcome the immunity of available vaccines, there have been many testimonies and notes that attest to the increase in trips to beach tourist destinations, consumption in restaurants and cafeterias, and items as personal compensation for stress suffered. Even the anti-vaccine and anti-mask movements have been radicalized.
The urgency stimulus fueled by the withdrawal syndrome has led not a few to overcome the fear of the disease and to jump into a kind of frenzy to celebrate vaccination, in the cases of those who have already been immunized, or on the eve of receiving any biological. The states and economic bodies of many countries have encouraged this wave of consumption as a way to reactivate the economies that suffered a kind of paralysis last year.
Another component not to lose sight of is the depression suffered by many consumers derived from a constant medical situation that has brought down many personal and community projects, has left thousands of homes with bereaved and took away the growth and economic income of entire societies. If there is a third wave as hot as the second one at Christmas, it should already be a subject of market research in order to offer the best response plans to this phenomenon. The COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet.
It is not that new consumer biases have arisen as a result of the current situation. We believe that it is more about the manifestation of deviations from the already known buying choice trends added to a set of present circumstances that went beyond most forecasts. Understanding consumers is a task we know well at Acertiva. We invite you to contact us to find out your needs and share the best way to satisfy them. Write us now.
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